The National Unity Platform (NUP) have won seven out of ten seats in the city, but those victories were far from the sweeping triumphs the party enjoyed in the 11th Parliament. Instead, the elections in Kampala turned into a tense, nail-biting contest in almost every division, with narrow margins and fierce competition that showed the […]
The National Unity Platform (NUP) have won seven out of ten seats in the city, but those victories were far from the sweeping triumphs the party enjoyed in the 11th Parliament. Instead, the elections in Kampala turned into a tense, nail-biting contest in almost every division, with narrow margins and fierce competition that showed the city is no longer a clear NUP stronghold.
In Kampala Central, where Minsa Kabanda snatched the seat from the NUP candidate David Lewis Rubongoya, taking over the position previously held by independent MP Nsereko Muhammed.
The Electoral Commission confirmed that NUP retained some strongholds in the city, including Rubaga South and Rubaga North, where Eugene Nasolo and Abubakar Kawalya were declared winners.
In Makindye East, NUP’s Ali Nganda won NRM’s Judith Abaho, who has accused the Electoral Commission of foul play. Abaho claimed that DR forms from some polling stations were not counted. She has vowed to take legal action.
Makindye West, however, was a clean win for NUP’s Zahara Luyirika, who defeated NRM’s Doreen Keita by a big margin. Still, Keita insisted the election was not free and fair.
Kawempe South turned into another major loss for NUP, as NRM’s Madina Nsereko defeated Frank Nyanzi, Kyagulanyi’s brother, by a wide margin. Nyanzi, who had been at the center of internal party disputes, claimed the results were altered in favour of his opponent.
Kawempe North remained an NUP victory, but it was a tense one. Erias Nalukoola won amid heightened tensions that forced security officers to escort the returning officer to safety. His rival, Faridah Nambi of the NRM, strongly contested the results, but Nalukoola was declared the winner.
Meanwhile, in Nakawa, the ruling party scored a strong victory in Nakawa East where Fred Ruhindi won with against NUP’s Alex Mufumbiro, who is in jail. Nakawa West also went to NUP candidate, LOP with Joel Ssenyonyi winning the seat by more than 12,000 votes.
However, the NUP has lost at least 23 parliamentary seats in Buganda, all of which were reclaimed by the NRM or NRM-leaning independents. This has drastically reduced the party’s power in the region.
The opposition’s parliamentary strength has dropped from 57 MPs to 48.
Even big names and popular figures were not spared in loses. Musicians and politicians like Kiyaga Hillary, also known as Dr Hilderman, and Geofrey Lutaaya lost their seats, while the NUP candidate for Mityana Woman MP, Mukisa Proscovia, was defeated by Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba.
Despite the setbacks, NUP still managed to flip some seats in Buganda and Busoga, proving it still has influence. The party recorded wins in areas such as Kira Municipality, Kayunga, Nakasongola, Mukono South, Buikwe South and Mubende Municipality.
The NRM has taken a total of 355 seats out of the 495 confirmed parliamentary seats. The NUP secured 48 seats, while independents won 63 seats. Other parties also made small gains, with the Democratic Party (DP) winning 6 seats, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) each winning 10 seats, and the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) winning 2 seats.
In the Buganda region, the NRM claimed 57 seats, while NUP took 39 seats.
