Africa-Press – Uganda. The conclusion of Local Council I (LC1) elections in Ntungamo District has shifted attention from campaigning to reconciliation, accountability and service delivery, even as unsuccessful candidates continue to challenge results through election petitions.
After waiting eight years for grassroots elections, residents are now looking to the newly elected village leaders to fulfil campaign promises centred on integrity and effective service under the slogan “kisanja no sleep, no corruption.”
At the Ntungamo Electoral Commission offices, defeated candidates and their agents have been filing complaints and seeking reviews of results, with some calling for fresh voting in disputed villages.
Ntungamo Electoral Commission Returning Officer Honest Baguma said the commission has so far received 35 complaints from candidates dissatisfied with different aspects of the election process.
“Largely, the process was successful. We are now entertaining those who feel dissatisfied about how the process was conducted,” Baguma said.
Despite the disputes, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) emerged with an overwhelming victory, winning 87 percent of the LC1 chairperson positions across Ntungamo’s 1,033 villages.
Independent candidates secured 139 seats, while the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) and the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) shared six positions.
Political analyst Perez Rumanzi urged the government to train the newly elected LC1 chairpersons on the scope of their legal responsibilities to prevent them from exceeding their mandate.
“I expect the government to train the local chairpersons to handle only cases that fall within their mandate at the village level,” Rumanzi said.
Rushenyi County Member of Parliament Naomi Kabasharira called on both winners and losers to reconcile and work together in the interest of their communities, saying unity would be critical to effective service delivery.
She urged the newly elected leaders to promote fairness, inclusion and peaceful coexistence while avoiding discrimination, corruption and abuse of office.
“LC1 leaders are the most important elected leaders because they live and interact with the people who elect them every day. They must serve all residents equally and use the authority entrusted to them for the benefit of the community,” Kabasharira said.
Several newly elected village chairpersons have pledged to uphold a “kisanja no sleep, no corruption” agenda, promising to work diligently for their communities, ensure proper implementation of government programmes and use the official village stamp to serve residents rather than for personal gain.
