How Ankole’s local politics played out

Ibanda District Chairperson Happy Herbert Mayanja was declared unopposed for a second term as LC5 chairperson
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As voters elsewhere lined up to choose district chairpersons and councillors, large parts of Ankole watched the election unfold from the sidelines.
In six of the sub-region’s twelve districts, and one city, the ballot paper never reached voters’ hands because by the time nomination dust settled last September, the races were already decided, and Unopposed declarations had cleared the way for several district chairpersons to take office without facing the electorate.
Those who sailed through without facing the ballot included Happy Herbert Mayanja (Ibanda), Aaron Turahi (Isingiro), Jemmimah Buhanda (Sheema), Prosper Tumwebaze (Bushenyi), Richard Womugasho (Rwampara), and Hygiene Twongyeirwe (Mbarara). In Ibanda, Isingiro, Sheema and Bushenyi districts, the contest ended almost as soon as it began. The same outcome later played out in Rwampara and Mbarara, though only after behind-the-scenes negotiations persuaded rival candidates to step aside.
In Bushenyi, Prosper Twebaze rose through the party primaries, while his rival, Jafar Basajabalaba, ultimately withdrew after being appointed to the ruling party’s national coordination team. In Mbarara, Hygiene Twongyeirwe’s victory in the primaries effectively sealed his ascent to the district’s top seat.
In Rwampara, the withdrawal of King Jotham Mwesigwa followed an offer of employment in the Office of the Speaker of Parliament. In Mbarara, Didas Tabaro exited the race after talks with leaders of the Patriotic League of Uganda. With no challengers left standing, the declarations were made, and polling day quietly passed.
Yet while some candidates cruised through unchallenged, others were forced into bruising contests that tested both stamina and strategy.
In Kiruhura District, the contest stretched late into the night. Later, the Returning Officer Alex Komuhangi announced that Dan Mukago Rutetebya of the ruling National Resistance Movement had successfully defended his seat, with 63,938 votes comfortably defeating former Sembabule Resident District Commissioner Nickson Nuwagaba Kabuye, who polled 5959. The margin was decisive, but the campaign had been anything but easy.
After his victory, Mukago struck a familiar tone: service delivery, water, livelihoods. In a district long defined by dry seasons and scattered settlements, his promise to extend clean water from the new National Water and Sewerage Corporation project on Lake Kakyera resonated deeply.
“Kiruhura is a dry district,” he said, “but this project will ensure all trading centres, and eventually homes, have access to clean water.”
A similar story unfolded in Kazo District, where Reverend Samuel Mugisha Katugunda secured a second term. Having first led the district in an acting capacity when it was carved out in 2019, Katugunda’s political journey has mirrored the district’s own search for stability. This time, voters renewed their confidence in him, handing him a clear victory over his challenger, Samuel Muyambi, with 29,005 votes against 14,879 votes.
In Buhweju, the margins were tighter. Deo Atuhaire of the NRM Party retained his seat after a competitive race against independent candidate Phillip Muhamya. Atuhaire got 22, 652 votes against Muhamya’s 19,778 votes.
While some incumbents held firm, elsewhere voters opted for change. In Rubirizi District, Obed Agaba Byakureka emerged victorious after unseating the ruling party’s incumbent in the primaries and carrying that momentum into the general election.
He won with 27,938 votes, defeating Shamim Kyobutungi Sudi, an independent candidate with 8,641 and Ignatius Niwamanya, another independent who scored 583. The incumbent Sylvester Agubashongorera lost to Byakureka in the NRM party primaries.
Mitooma District followed a similar path when former chairperson Benon Karyeija lost the ruling party primaries; he chose not to return as an independent candidate.
The opening allowed political newcomer Alex Karitundu Okanga to step forward, and he was declared a winner early today with 42,001 votes, defeating Moses Ntanda Mwijukye, an independent candidate who obtained 17,507 votes, and Patrick Ayebazibwe of ANT got 702 votes.
Karitundu struck a conciliatory note after the declaration, pledging to prioritise unity and service delivery for a district that has witnessed factional political battles in the past.
Taken together, Ankole’s election story was one of contrasts, between ballots cast and contests avoided, between negotiated exits and hard-fought victories and a political landscape shaped not only by voter choice but also by persuasion, compromise, and party strategy.
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