Bugweri Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Sadala Wandera has declared his intention to run for the Bugweri constituency parliamentary seat in the 2026 general election, challenging incumbent Abdu Katuntu.
Wandera made the announcement at a Thanksgiving ceremony at his home in Bubenge Village in Igombe Sub-county after returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The event was attended by dignitaries, including Minister for Presidency Milly Babalanda, State Minister in the Office of the Vice-President Dianah Mutasingwa, Secretary in the Office of the President Yunus Kakande, and acting Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Ali Waiswa.
Wandera, a retired army officer, aims to oust Katuntu, who has held the seat for five terms since 2001.
Mr Katuntu has been a prominent figure in Ugandan politics, serving as chairman of the parliamentary committee on Rules and Discipline and later as chairperson of the parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE).
However, Katuntu's tenure has not been without controversy. He was first elected into the parliament of Uganda in 2001.
He lost his parliamentary seat in the 2006 general election to Kirunda Kivejinja but challenged the result, citing widespread malpractices.
The court found that "during the campaign period and on polling day, there was widespread intimidation, and torture in Bugweri", biasing the result in favour of Kivejinja.
Katuntu, then on the Forum for Democratic Change ticket, won the resulting by-election.
In the 2011 general elections, Katuntu was re-elected for another term in Parliament but faced an election petition in 2019, with his opponent, Julius Galisonga, accusing him of colluding with the Uganda Electoral Commission to frustrate fair election procedures.
Katuntu won the election with 17,813 votes, while Galisonga garnered 9,074 votes.
Despite his achievements, including recovering Shs47 billion from rogue Chinese road construction firms in 2016, Katuntu has faced criticism from President Museveni, who described him as a "poisonous mushroom" intent on suffocating government programmes.
Wandera's decision to challenge Katuntu marks a significant shift in his career, as he steps down from his role as RDC to pursue the parliamentary seat on the NRM ticket.
The move has sparked interest in the political landscape, with many observing the potential implications of Wandera's candidacy.
As the 2026 general election approaches, the contest between Wandera and Katuntu is expected to be closely watched, with the outcome potentially signaling a shift in the political dynamics of Bugweri constituency as Wandera takes the move in the evening of Katuntu's political carrier.