Uthuman Mugisha Mubarak, a 26-year-old enrolled nurse, won the Hoima District Local Council V (LCV) by-election, securing 18,353 votes for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party on Thursday night.
This election marked Mr. Mugisha’s first venture into politics. His triumph means that he follows in the footsteps of his late father, Kadiri Kirungi, who served as the Hoima District chairperson until his unfortunate passing in a road accident on March 17 along the Kampala-Hoima road in 2021.
To complete the remaining tenure of his father’s 2021 victory, Mr. Mugisha faced off against Mr. Vincent Muhumuza, who gathered 12,020 votes as an independent candidate. Mr. Muhumuza had previously sought the NRM nomination on August 28 but was unsuccessful. This marked his third unsuccessful attempt to secure the district chairmanship after contesting in 2016 and 2021. He had previously served as a councillor for Kahoora Division, Hoima Municipality, from 2011 to 2015.
In his victory speech, Mr. Mugisha stressed the significance of unity and peace, pledging to continue his father’s work. He expressed his commitment to addressing land grabbing issues and facilitating the issuance of land titles and compensation for those in need, with cooperation from relevant authorities and ministries.
Rosemary Sseninde, NRM’s director for mobilization, acknowledged the youth’s significant presence among the voters and emphasized the importance of not leaving them behind in future endeavors.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) party fielded a youthful candidate, Mr. Moses Aguuda, who garnered 3,972 votes. Mr. Patrick Musinguzi from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party received 271 votes, while Mr. Lenox Mugume, an independent candidate, received 179 votes.
Ms. Babara Nabaasa, the Office of National Chairman coordinator for Tooro region, credited the NRM party’s success to a door-to-door campaign conducted in the six days leading up to the election. She highlighted the effectiveness of reaching voters in their homes and delivering the party’s message.
Prominent NRM figures such as Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Moses Kigongo (the party’s national vice chairman), and Dr. Chris Baryomunsi (the party’s vice chairman of the western region) showed their support for Mr. Mugisha’s candidacy.