The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially declared National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Emmanuel Sserunjoji as the Mayor of Kawempe Division following a tense standoff that forced election officials to open sealed black boxes for verification and recount.
The announcement was made late Tuesday by Kampala District Returning Officer Jennifer Kyobutungi at the district tally centre located at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Nakawa.
The delay arose after both Sserunjoji and National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer Faruk Bulime claimed victory in the closely contested race, sparking confusion and competing claims at the tally centre.
While results for other positions were declared earlier, the Kawempe Division mayoral seat remained unresolved due to disagreements over Declaration Results (DR) forms and the official basis for announcing a winner.
Kyobutungi directed both candidates to present DR forms from polling stations to substantiate their claims.
Bulime failed to produce any forms, while Sserunjoji submitted several documents he said were collected during vote counting and tallying in the field.
Despite the submissions, the returning officer declined to declare a winner immediately, stressing that the Electoral Commission could only rely on official election materials in its custody.
The impasse led to the opening of sealed black boxes containing Kawempe Division’s election materials.
Electoral officials retrieved original DR forms and other critical documents to conduct a verification and recount exercise, comparing the forms presented by Sserunjoji with those officially held by the EC to establish the accurate final tally.
The process, conducted under heightened security, attracted attention as officials meticulously scrutinised the election materials to ensure transparency and accuracy.
After hours of verification and recounting, the Kampala District Returning Officer officially declared Emmanuel Sserunjoji as the duly elected Mayor of Kawempe Division, bringing an end to the prolonged uncertainty and allowing him to assume office.
