Early results from the Kampala Lord Mayor election held on January 22 indicate a decisive victory for Balimwezo Ronald Nsubuga, as vote tallying nears completion across the city’s five divisions.
According to provisional figures from the Electoral Commission, results from 2,491 of the 2,705 polling stations have so far been tallied.
Balimwezo, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, has amassed 135,425 votes, placing him far ahead of his closest challengers and positioning him to assume the politically influential office of Lord Mayor of Kampala.
The partial tally reflects a voter turnout of 92.09 percent, with 227,859 valid votes recorded and 3,319 invalid ballots cast.
Balimwezo’s nearest rival, Kizito Moses Nsubuga of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), has garnered 43,099 votes, while incumbent Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) follows with 40,386 votes.
Other candidates, including Beatrice Mao of the Democratic Party (DP), Kasozi Ibrahim Biribawa of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and independent contenders Nabilah Naggayi Sempala and Yamureebire Jothan, trailed with significantly smaller vote totals.
With only a small number of polling stations left to report, the figures strongly suggest that Balimwezo is on course to be officially declared Kampala’s next Lord Mayor once the final results are verified and announced.
The outcome signals a notable political shift in the capital, ending Erias Lukwago’s long tenure at City Hall and ushering in a new opposition figure under the NUP banner.
\Since the establishment of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in 2011, Lukwago has been the only individual to occupy the office of Lord Mayor.
The position of Mayor of Kampala was first created in 1950 during the colonial period and became a directly elected office in 1998. Following the creation of KCCA in 2011, the title was elevated to Lord Mayor.
Under the current governance structure, the role is largely ceremonial and political, with executive authority vested in a presidentially appointed Executive Director and the Minister for Kampala.
Despite its limited executive powers, the office remains symbolically and politically significant, serving as a key platform for articulating the interests of Kampala’s residents, presiding over council meetings, and representing the city at official functions.
If confirmed, Balimwezo’s victory would mark the first change in leadership at City Hall since the introduction of the Lord Mayor system, opening a new phase in Kampala’s urban politics and opposition leadership.
