Bewayo, Rutehenda Trail

BY Vision ReportersPRELIMINARY election results received late last evening showed the Jinja Municipality mayor, Stephen Bewayo Nsubuga, was losing at the hands of businessman, David Wakudumira. Other incumbents who were reportedly doing badly included the Mbarara mayor Robert Rutehenda, George Egunyu of Soroti and the Fort Portal mayor, Bob Kaganda, who was apparently losing to Asaba Ruyonga, a former campaign manager of Col. Dr Kizza Besigye. Egunyu was also losing to a former Besigye campaign manager, Charles Willy Ekemu.Results from Jinja Central and Mpumudde division and from some centres in Walukuba division placed Wakudumira in the lead with a margin of 1,682 votes. The municipality burst into partying as results trickled in.In Entebbe Municipality, incumbent Steven Kabuye, was heading for a landslide victory against his sole rival Paul Kayanja. Kabuye had 5,794 votes against Kayanja’s 3,374 from 32 out of the 38 polling stations in the municipality. Kabuye went through unopposed in the previous election.In Jinja, Wakudumira’s jubilant supporters moved around the town chanting and waving posters of Col. Dr Kizza Besigye, MP Winnie Byanyima, Kampala Mayor Ssebaana Kizito as well as those of the candidate. Bodaboda cyclists carried an effigy of Bewayo all over town which they later took to the town hall for a mock burial.Results from the 25 polling centres counted by press time indicated that Bewayo lost with bigger margins. Wakudumira garnered 2,890 votes compared to Bewayo’s 1,563 votes in the 25 polling centres. The third contender and former Mayor, Joel Kafuko Babalanda, had only 217 votes.The race was tight in Arua, with Charles Asiku and Thabit Khalifan running neck-and-neck. But Asiku was leading with 5,490 votes against Khalifan’s 5,197 votes. Two other candidates, Juma Bakhit and Adam Tipere, withdrew at the eleventh minute in favour of Khalifan.In Fort Portal, Asaba Ruyonga’s supporters were also celebrating after he secured a string of victories over the incumbent Bob Kaganda, at a number of polling stations. Ruyonga had 3,043 votes while Kaganda was trailing with 2,020 votes, according to results from 14 polling stations.Ruyonga beat the incumbent at 12 out of the 14 polling stations. Ruyonga was a campaign manager of Col. Dr Besigye during the presidential elections.In Kampala Central Division, the two main challengers Charles Musoke Sserunjogi and Moses Bbosa Kiyingi were neck-and-neck. Bbosa Kiyingi reportedly swept the polls at the UPDF polling stations at Kitante and Summit View. Sserunjogi had put up a strong show at the polling stations in his Kamwokya stronghold, Kagugube and the city civic centre.In Lubaga Division, preliminary results showed the incumbent Justin Ssendikadiwa was heading for a landslide victory. In Kawempe, Nasser Takuba Kibirige was reportedly heading for a landslide, according to MP Latif Ssebaggala. “Nasser is winning at virtually all the polling stations and our councillors are also doing extremely well,” Ssebaggala said. Takuba’s main challenger is Moses Mutebi. In Masaka Municipality, the incumbent Tibyasa Matovu had registered an early lead over his sole rival and ex-mayor Gerald Ssemwogerere. In Mbarara Municipality, the incumbent Robert Rutehenda was trailing his sole challenger Wilson Tumwine. In Kabale Municipality, incumbent Dr Pius Ruhemurana was ahead.Ends