National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Allan Bulamu has been declared the winner of the Kira Municipality mayoral race, sparking protests from opposition contenders who allege electoral fraud.
The announcement by the returning officer followed a tense, hour-long exchange and a brief lunch recess, fueling outrage and raising fresh concerns among contestants about the credibility of the election in the busy Kampala suburb.
According to the official results, Bulamu polled 17,170 votes, representing 40 per cent of the total ballots cast. He was followed by National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Norman Kaboggoza, who secured 13,475 votes (31.45 per cent), while incumbent mayor Julius Mutebi of the People’s Front for Freedom finished third with 10,715 votes (24.01 per cent).
The rest of the field trailed far behind: Moses Ategeka garnered 310 votes (0.72 per cent), Elly Bakojja 463 (1.08 per cent), Jowet Mastiko 362 (0.84 per cent), and Joseph Walusimbi 351 votes (0.81 per cent). Voter turnout was notably low. Only 43,364 voters cast ballots out of 206,969 registered voters, translating to a turnout of just 20.95 per cent.
Before the declaration, NUP’s Kaboggoza calmly confronted the Returning Officer over what he described as glaring discrepancies in the Declaration of Results (DR) forms.
Unlike scenes reported elsewhere in the country, Kaboggoza did not resort to threats or violence, even as police initially attempted to eject him from the tally centre. “Where he (Bulamu) scored zero, you have been reading 500 votes,” Kaboggoza protested.
He cited DR forms collected from polling stations showing Bulamu receiving no votes in several areas, figures which, he said, had inexplicably ballooned into hundreds in the official tally.
Incumbent Mayor Julius Mutebi later joined the protest, backing Kaboggoza’s claims and pointing to what he described as physical evidence of tampering. He alleged that some DR forms had been altered using white correction fluid, with original figures still faintly visible underneath.
“I am the sitting mayor, and I have already conceded defeat,” Mutebi said. “But I came here to tell you that you have presided over fraud.”
The Returning Officer listened but maintained that he could only declare results based on forms submitted by Presiding Officers. He noted the complaints in his notebook and agreed to verify the contested polling stations by comparing official DR forms with copies held by candidates.
A visibly frustrated Kaboggoza denounced the exercise as a sham, suggesting the lunch break at 3pm was a deliberate attempt to evade scrutiny. As the declaration was read out, he raised his hands in what appeared to be a silent prayer. Kaboggoza claimed that, based on his own tally, he had won the election by a margin of 12,000 votes.
Throughout the tense proceedings, Bulamu remained seated quietly at the back of the tally centre, frequently on his phone.
Speaking to journalists after the declaration, he dismissed the allegations of fraud and instead accused Kaboggoza’s supporters of intimidation. “I won the election fairly,” Bulamu said.
“The NUP candidate mobilised thugs to terrorise my supporters and steal my DR forms. That is why they arrived without them.”
