Africa-Press – Uganda. Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi has been declared the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flagbearer for the Mbarara City mayoral seat after winning the party primaries with 19,800 votes, representing 41% of the total ballots cast.
The results were announced early Friday morning by city returning officer Patrick Kaweesi, following a tightly contested race that stretched late into the night.
Seth Murari came second with 12,926 votes (28.2%), while Herbert Kamugisha garnered 6,541 votes (14.3%), Dan Ruhemba Kamusiime 4,137 votes (9%), and Evelyn Walimbwa 2,984 votes (6.5%).
Godwin Nsimire with 343 votes (0.7%), and Elias Ahimbisibwe with 91 votes (0.2%) were far behind.
Speaking shortly after his declaration at around 2:20 a.m., Kakyebezi attributed his victory to the trust and resilience of the voters.
“I want to thank you, the people of Mbarara City. You have shown me support and voted for reason and service delivery. Thank you for not bending to intimidation,” Kakyebezi said.
He extended an olive branch to his competitors, emphasizing the need for party unity ahead of the general elections.
“I want to thank those I was in the race with, especially Herbert Kamugisha and all the other candidates. We are a family, and I call upon you to rally behind me so that we win in the general elections,” he said.
Kakyebezi, who is seeking another term as Mbarara City’s mayor under the NRM banner, also praised security forces for maintaining peace throughout the electoral process.
“I thank security for protecting the people and the entire electoral process from the start to the end. I want to thank in a special way the Deputy RCC Robert Kanusu for overseeing the process and supervising the security,” he noted.
Describing the victory as a reaffirmation of the NRM’s strength in the region, Kakyebezi pledged to consolidate support and mobilize for the party ahead of the 2026 polls.
“This victory shows that the NRM is alive and still energetic in this area. This is the time to maintain and defend our party, even in the upcoming general elections,” he said.
Kakyebezi’s win sets the stage for a high-stakes mayoral race in Mbarara, where opposition parties are expected to mount a serious challenge.
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