New faces take over Busoga region LC5 seats

BUSOGA.

Newcomers have taken over majority of district chairperson seats in the 10 districts that make up Busoga sub-region as five incumbents either vacated the posts for higher political offices or did not contest at all.

Three of the five incumbents who contested were defeated.
Those who contested and lost include Luuka District chairman, Mr Samuel Kakyada, Iganga’s Shaban Nkuutu who came a distant third and Namayingo District chairman, Mr Wilbur Obondo Waiswa.

In Luuka District, the incumbent, Mr Samuel Kakyada, who contested as an independent candidate after losing in last year’s NRM primaries, was defeated by the party’s official flag bearer, Mr Baker Luwangula.

Mr Luwangula polled 23,566 votes, while Mr Kakyada came second with 18,802 votes. Mr Allan Bulamu, son of the late former area MP, Dr Fredrick Bulamu, came third with 3,382 votes.

The Iganga District seat was won by independent candidate and civil society activist, Mr Patrick Kayemba, condemning the incumbent, Mr Shaban Nkutu, who was also the NRM flag bearer, to a distant third.
According to official results released on Thursday morning by the district returning officer, Mr Jackson Higenyi, Mr Kayemba polled 29,612 votes, followed by FDC’s Baker Basalirwa with 28,163 and Mr Nkutu 19,092 votes.

Addressing the media shortly after he was declared the winner, Mr Kayemba identified fighting corruption and abuse of public funds as some of his top priorities.
In Namayingo, Mr Wilbur Obondo Waiswa lost his seat to NRM’s Mr Ronald Sanya, who polled 15,985 votes. Mr Waiswa received 14,855 votes.

Those who retained their seats are Kaliro District chairman, Mr Wycliffe Ibanda and Mayuge District chairman Haji Omar Bongo Muwaya.

Mr Ibanda beat former district chairman, Mr Elijah Kagoda, whom he succeeded after the 2011 elections. Mr Ibanda polled 31,138 votes, while Mr Kagoda came second with 23,928.

Mr Bongo Muwaya, who was NRM flag bearer, retained his seat with 49,257 votes while his main challenger, Mr Alex Ben Kyakoba Mudhungu, an independent, lost with 38,972 votes.

Mr Malijan Azalwa won Bugiri District seat in 2011, but lost it in April 2014 after he and his vice chairman, Mr Socrates Nambiro Mukisa, and 10 others were sentenced to eight months in prison. They were convicted for assaulting Mr Azalwa’s opponent in the race, Mr Daudi Mulengani Luwanga. Azalwa reclaimed the seat this time.

According to results released by Bugiri District returning officer, Ms Pheona Kunihira, yesterday, Mr Azalwa, who was NRM’s flagbearer, polled 39,351 votes, followed by FDC’s Mr Bumali Luba (9,080) and independent candidate Davidson Mulumba Kasajja (5,061).

Namutumba District chair was taken by Hajj Saleh Kumbuga. The seat was vacated by Mr Michael Saire after he sought to contest for the newly created Bukono County parliamentary seat but lost to Ms Persis Namuganza in last week’s elections.

Hajj Saleh, who was the NRM candidate in the race, took the seat with a vote haul of 52,350 votes, followed by the Independent candidate, Mr George Ddamba Matagala with 36,250 votes, and Mr Patrick Mutyaba, who came third with 25,233 votes.

One time speaker of Kamuli District Council, Mr Thomas Franz Kategere, won the LC5 seat which was vacated by Forum for Democratic Change’s vice chairperson, Ms Salaamu Musumba, to contest for the Kamuli Municipality parliamentary seat, which she lost during last Thursday’s elections.

Mr Kategere polled 31,993 votes, followed by independent candidate Mr Charles Mugudde with 27,441. Mr Baraka Ndegwe came third with 5,920 votes and Mr Karoli Dhizaala fourth with 1,947 votes. FDC’s Moses Aliba came last with 832 votes. By the press time, results for Jinja District LC5 seat had not been released.
(Compiled by Opio Sam Caleb, Asuman Musobya, Yazid Yolisigira, Denis Edema and Ronald Seebe)