KAMPALA, Uganda — The Kampala District Returning Officer, Rashid Hashakya, has officially declared Luyimbazi Elias Nalukoola the winner of the Kawempe North parliamentary seat, after securing more than 34,000 votes in the tightly contested 2026 general election.
Nalukoola, who ran on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, defeated the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Faridah Nambi by a margin of nearly 25,000 votes. Nambi polled approximately 8,900 votes, a figure broadly consistent with her performance in the previous by-election.
The declaration followed a tense tallying process, marked by sharp exchanges between the two leading candidates.
Both Nalukoola and Nambi accused each other of vote rigging, prompting heightened security deployment as supporters from rival camps traded threats, raising fears of possible violence at the tally centre.
Despite the charged atmosphere, election officials proceeded with the final count, culminating in Nalukoola’s confirmation as the duly elected Member of Parliament.
Kampala political landscape
Nalukoola’s victory further consolidates the NUP’s dominance in Kampala, where the party has now secured seven out of the city’s 10 elective parliamentary positions. The remaining seats are held by the ruling NRM.
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In the previous parliamentary elections, NUP had won nine of the 10 Kampala seats. However, in the current electoral cycle, the party has lost two seats to the NRM, signalling a more competitive political landscape in the capital.
Meanwhile, the National Unity Platform (NUP) has retained its dominance in Lubaga Division, Kampala, after sweeping both its constituencies; Lubaga South and Lubaga North.
Rashid Hashakya, the Electoral Commission’s returning officer for Kampala, declared Eugenia Nassolo the winner for Lubaga South with 35,366 votes, defeating NRM’s Musa Mbazira, who scored 8,359 votes.
Nassolo, who contested on the Democratic Party (DP) ticket in 2021 and came second to NUP’s Alloysius Matovu, returned to Parliament under NUP this year after the party chose not to give the ticket to Mukasa.
Hashakya also announced Abubaker Kawalya the winner of Lubaga North with 30,589 votes, defeating NRM’s Katongole Singh, who garnered 9,526 votes. Kawalya has successfully retained the constituency for NUP.
Broader implications
Kawempe North remains one of Kampala’s most politically active constituencies, and the high-stakes contest reflects broader national tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, particularly in urban areas.
As Uganda moves deeper into a contested electoral season, the events surrounding the Kawempe North result underscore continuing concerns over electoral transparency, security deployment, and political polarisation.
