I WANT A NEW ONE: Lord Mayor Balimwezo Rejects Lukwago’s Chair

Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga was officially sworn in as the new Lord Mayor of Kampala on May 20, 2026, ushering in a new political era at City Hall after the end of Erias Lukwago’s 15-year dominance of the capital’s top political office.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at Kampala Capital City Authority headquarters and was presided over by Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa as Balimwezo and newly elected councillors formally assumed office for the 2026–2031 term.

During the ceremony, Balimwezo promised to focus on improving accountability, waste management, road infrastructure, drainage systems and traffic flow in Kampala.

The former Nakawa East MP describedKampala as Uganda’s economic heartbeat but lamented that the city continues to suffer from poor planning, congestion, corruption and overstretched services despite contributing heavily to the national economy.

Balimwezo’s National Unity Platform (NUP) also celebrated further as John Mary Ssebuwuufu was elected as Speaker of the Kampala Capital City Authority Council and Olivia Namazzi as Deputy Speaker on May 21, completing the formation of the city’s new political leadership.

The trio is expected to steer council business and supervise implementation of policies aimed at transforming Kampala over the next five years.

Balimwezo, an engineer by profession, is a longtime politician who previously served as Mayor of Nakawa Division before becoming Member of Parliament for Nakawa East on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket.

Before joining active politics, he lectured civil engineering students at Kyambogo University and built a reputation as a technocrat with interest in urban planning and infrastructure development.

His rise to the Lord Mayor’s office came after a landslide victory in the January 2026 elections where he defeated veteran opposition politician Erias Lukwago, who had served as Kampala Lord Mayor since 2011. Balimwezo garnered 141,220 votes while Lukwago came a distant third, with NRM’s Moses Kizito Nsubuga finishing second with 43,615 votes. The outcome was widely interpreted as a public demand for change in the management of Kampala City.

In his first address as Lord Mayor, Balimwezo pledged to build “a clean, organised, inclusive, productive and accountable city.” He also warned against corruption and impunity within city structures, promising a more coordinated and professional approach to governance. Kampala residents will now be watching closely to see whether the engineer-turned-politician can deliver the transformation many voters hoped for when they overwhelmingly voted him into office.

LORD MAYOR’S CHAIR

In rejecting the chair that Lukwago has sat in for 15 years, Balimwezo explained that the chair was too old and that he needed it replaced.

He argued that the chair has been there for 50 years and used by lord mayors who have served Uganda’s capital city over the decades.

Kampala Lord Mayor, Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo, has declined to use the current mayoral chair, saying the nearly 50-year-old seat should be replaced by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).#MonitorUpdates

📹: Jeff Twesigye pic.twitter.com/aKasrIVuPX

— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) May 21, 2026

Balimwezo is not the first one to refuse to sit on a chair or enter a predecessor’s office.

Anita Among refused to sit in the office previously occupied by Jacob Oulanyah when she was elected speaker. (See Details Here).

Read about how much money Lord Mayor Balimwezo, his deputy and top KCCA leaders will be earning every month Here.