Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo of the National Unity Platform (NUP) has been elected the new Lord Mayor of Kampala following a highly competitive and closely watched election.
After a long and tense vote-counting process, Balimwezo defeated the incumbent Lord Mayor and People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) leader, Erias Lukwago.
Balimwezo got 141,220 votes while NRM’s Moses Kizito Nsubuga came second with 43,615 votes and Lukwago came third with 41,915 while Beatrice Mao got a paltry 2,162 votes.
The victory reflects strong public endorsement of Balimwezo’s vision for the capital city. Many Kampala residents rallied behind his campaign slogan, “Kampala needs an Engineer,” which resonated widely and earned him overwhelming support across the city.
Other contenders in the race included independent candidate Naggayi Nabillah Sempala, Beatrice Mao of the Democratic Party (DP), Ibrahim Kasozi Biribawa of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Eddie Bazira Kibalama, and Jothan Yamureebire.
Before ascending to the Lord Mayoral seat, Balimwezo served as Mayor of Nakawa Division and later as Member of Parliament for Nakawa East. He had pledged to serve only one term in Parliament—a promise he fulfilled.
A civil engineer by profession, Balimwezo is also an amputee, having lost his leg in a serious road accident in Kampala—an experience he has frequently cited as a consequence of poor urban infrastructure.
This personal history has strongly shaped his commitment to improving road safety and city planning.
In addition to his political career, Balimwezo is a former boxer and currently serves as an honorary Ambassador for the Korean Community in Uganda.
