Independent candidate Luyimbaazi Stephen has won the Kirindi Village LC1 chairperson re-election in Kayunga District, defeating candidates from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the National Unity Platform (NUP) in a poll held under tight security on Thursday.
Luyimbaazi secured 247 votes, beating NRM’s Bukenya Roggers, who received 211 votes, while NUP candidate Swaib Musana garnered only five votes.
The re-election followed the nullification of the July 28, 2026, poll after Luyimbaazi petitioned Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, citing irregularities in the electoral process.
According to the account of the election, Justice Byabakama ordered a fresh poll after identifying procedural flaws, and Kirindi Village was subsequently included among the areas scheduled for repeat elections under the Electoral Commission’s nationwide programme.
Voting on Thursday proceeded peacefully, with security personnel deployed under the leadership of Kayunga District Police Commander Hussein Mugarura.
Kayunga District Returning Officer Elizabeth Namirembe arrived at the polling station at 9 a.m. and took charge of the exercise. She read out the voters’ register, after which verified voters received special voting cards before proceeding to the designated polling area.
Namirembe also briefed voters on the procedures, urging them to maintain order and avoid unnecessary movement between queues.
Voting and counting were completed without reported incidents, paving the way for Namirembe to declare Luyimbaazi the winner.
After announcing the results, the returning officer thanked security personnel and residents for maintaining peace throughout the exercise. She also supervised the election of the village LC1 committee before leaving the polling station.
In his acceptance remarks, Luyimbaazi thanked the Electoral Commission for organising the re-election, saying the exercise had given him another opportunity to secure what he described as his earlier victory.
He called on residents to put aside their differences and unite as he prepares to lead the village.
Some residents welcomed the outcome, saying the repeat election had given them another opportunity to choose their preferred leader following the disputed July poll.
The peaceful conduct of the exercise marked the conclusion of a closely contested village leadership race involving candidates from Uganda’s two major political parties and an independent contender.
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