KIKUUBE, Uganda — National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Paddy Kisembo has been declared the duly elected LC5 Chairperson of Kikuube District after securing a decisive victory in the district chairperson by-election.
The Kikuube District Returning Officer, Emmanuel Twine, announced the results on Thursday evening, declaring Kisembo the winner after he garnered 26,612 votes, comfortably defeating his National Unity Platform (NUP) rival Phenekansi Timanyire, who polled 8,712 votes.
“Having obtained the highest number of valid votes cast, I hereby declare Paddy Kisembo the duly elected LC5 Chairperson for Kikuube District,” Twine announced during the declaration ceremony.
Kisembo’s victory returns the district leadership to the ruling NRM following a closely watched by-election that was necessitated by the death of former district chairperson Peter Banura Araali, who died in a road accident in April 2026. The Electoral Commission subsequently organized a by-election to fill the vacant seat.
The newly elected chairperson entered the race as the NRM flag bearer after the party was forced to replace its initial candidate, Philip Mbabazi Burnet, whose nomination was rejected by the Electoral Commission over discrepancies in his academic documents. Kisembo, who had finished second in the NRM primary election, was subsequently endorsed by the party as its official candidate.
The by-election attracted significant political attention in the oil-rich district, with both NRM and NUP mobilizing supporters across the area. In the days leading to the vote, NRM leaders worked to reconcile factions that had emerged following the party’s disputed primary process, with several supporters of Burnet eventually rallying behind Kisembo’s candidature.
Following the declaration, supporters of the ruling party celebrated the victory, describing it as a strong endorsement of the NRM’s development agenda in the district.
Kisembo is expected to assume office in the coming days and oversee service delivery programs in Kikuube, one of Uganda’s strategic districts within the Albertine Graben region, which hosts major oil and gas developments.
The Electoral Commission had scheduled the by-election for June 18, 2026, after adjusting its electoral roadmap earlier this year.
Political observers say Kisembo’s victory further consolidates the NRM’s influence in Bunyoro sub-region, where the ruling party has traditionally enjoyed strong support.