After a 15-year era at City Hall, Erias Lukwago has officially conceded defeat in the 2026 Kampala Lord Mayorship race, marking the end of one of the longest and most consequential tenures in the capital’s political history.
In a signed statement dated January 24, 2026, the outgoing Lord Mayor acknowledged the outcome of the January 22 polls, which saw National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Eng. Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo declared winner in a crowded contest that attracted eight candidates.
While Lukwago pointed to what he described as “flaws that have marred this process,” his concession struck a tone of reflection and personal triumph. He said he was leaving the Lord Mayor’s Parlour with “pride and elation,” insisting that his record remained intact in what he called a political environment “bedeviled by political indecency.”
Lukwago portrayed his time at City Hall as a sustained battle against entrenched interests, saying he had served as a “spear and shield” against cartels and “mafias” seeking to plunder city assets. He cited integrity and pro-poor advocacy as the defining pillars of his leadership, describing his record as “impeccable and unassailable” and asserting that he had consistently stood with the urban poor and indigent residents who looked to his office for protection and justice.
Although he congratulated the “newly constituted leadership” under Eng. Balimwezo and wished it well, Lukwago made it clear that his exit from City Hall does not signal retirement from politics. Instead, he announced a shift toward a broader national political struggle.
“Going forward, my energy and resources will remain focused on the protracted struggle for social justice, rule of law, and non-violent transition from a family and gun rule to a constitutional and political order or dispensation that guarantees the sovereignty of the people,” Lukwago said in the statement.
The Electoral Commission declared Balimwezo the winner on Friday with 141,220 votes.
Lukwago, who contested under the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) banner, finished third with 41,915 votes, trailing National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Moses Kizito Nsubuga.
Other candidates posted significantly lower tallies, with Democratic Party’s Beatrice Mao securing 2,162 votes, Forum for Democratic Change’s Ibrahim Kasozi polling 1,426, independent candidate Nabilah Naggayi Ssempala receiving 1,854 votes, Eddie Kibalama getting 188 votes, and Jotham Yamurebire finishing last with 119 votes.
The transition marks a major shift in Kampala’s local governance. Balimwezo, the outgoing Nakawa East Member of Parliament, now takes charge of a city Lukwago has led since 2011, closing a long chapter in Kampala politics and opening a new one shaped by a younger generation of opposition leadership.
