Ntungamo Turns to Reconciliation After NRM Dominates LC1 Elections

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Ntungamo District has moved from campaigning and vote tallying to handling disputes and promoting reconciliation after the conclusion of Local Council I elections. The report says some defeated candidates and agents have gone to the Ntungamo Electoral Commission offices seeking reviews of results, with some asking for repeat voting in contested villages.

According to Ntungamo Electoral Commission Returning Officer Honest Baguma, the commission had received 35 complaints from candidates raising concerns about parts of the electoral process. While disputes remain, Baguma described the overall exercise as largely successful. The elections came after an eight-year wait for grassroots polls, increasing expectations that newly elected village leaders will deliver on campaign pledges linked to integrity, accountability and service delivery.

The ruling National Resistance Movement dominated the vote, winning 87% of LC1 chairperson positions across Ntungamo’s 1,033 villages, Nile Post reported. Independents took 139 seats, while the Alliance for National Transformation and the People’s Front for Freedom together won six positions. Political analyst Perez Rumanzi said government should train LC1 chairpersons on their legal roles so they do not act beyond their village-level mandate.

Rushenyi County MP Naomi Kabasharira urged winners and losers to reconcile and work together, saying LC1 leaders interact with residents daily and should serve communities without discrimination, corruption or abuse of office. Nile Post also reported that some elected chairpersons pledged to pursue a “kisanja no sleep, no corruption” approach, including careful use of village authority and support for government programmes.