NRM’s Ian Kyeyune declared Wakiso LC5 chairperson amid tally centre chaos

NRM’s Ian Kyeyune has been declared Wakiso District LC5 Chairperson after polling 177,710 votes, but NUP’s Najja Nasiif rejected the results and caused chaos at the tally centre.

NRM’s Ian Kyeyune casting his vote on Thursday, January 22, for the Wakiso District LC5 Chairperson seat (Photo/Handout)

Wakiso, Uganda: The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, Engineer Ian Kyeyune, has been declared the winner of the Wakiso District LC5 Chairperson race, amidst violent rejections of results by his main challenger, Najja Nasiif, of the National Unity Platform (NUP).

Kyeyune, a former Wakiso political heavyweight, returns to frontline politics after reclaiming the district’s top seat he last held before his 2011 defeat to Matia Lwanga Bwanika. It is his first major electoral victory since exiting elective politics more than a decade ago.

According to results announced by the Wakiso District Returning Officer, Mr Tolbert Musinguzi, Kyeyune polled 177,710 votes, comfortably defeating Najja Nasiif, who secured 99,235 votes. Democratic Front candidate Flavia Nakafero finished a distant third with 10,597 votes.

However, the declaration was preceded by chaos at the Wakiso tally centre, when Najja violently challenged the figures announced by the Electoral Commission, accusing the returning officer of announcing falsified results and insisting that his own tally showed he had defeated Kyeyune.

Witnesses said Najja repeatedly shouted, “Mr Tolbert, do the right thing,” prompting an immediate security response.

The situation escalated when police attempted to remove Najja from the hall. He reportedly resisted forcefully, clinging to the exit door and grabbing electric wires and metallic fixtures as officers tried to escort him out.

For close to 15 minutes, police struggled to restrain him before eventually detaching him from the door and forcibly carrying him away from the tally centre.

Journalists were barred from recording the incident or following the security operation, and it remained unclear where Najja was taken after his removal.

Despite the dramatic scenes, the Electoral Commission proceeded with the declaration, formally handing Kyeyune the victory and sealing his return to the helm of Wakiso District after a long political hiatus.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Mukono District, the District Returning Officer Emily Amongin declared Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga of the NUP as the duly elected LC5 Chairperson.

Ssenyonga polled 51,686 votes, narrowly defeating NRM’s Francis Lukooya Mukoome, who garnered 50,254 votes, while Independent candidate Lauben Ssenyonjo came third with 2,995 votes.