By Aggrey Twesigye
Former mayoral contender Stanley Katembeya Tugume has declined to concede defeat following the recent Mbarara City mayoral elections, declaring that the just-concluded race marked his final attempt at the city’s top seat.
Katembeya, who ran on the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) ticket, lost to incumbent mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, in polls held last month.
Official results showed Kakyebezi securing 21,117 votes, comfortably ahead of Katembeya’s 8,731.
Other candidates trailed far behind: independent candidate Senate Agaba Twongirwe polled 2,756 votes, Mweteise Bintabara of the Alliance for National Transformation received 170 votes, while Mark Itogoro Nyabiheemu, who crossed from the National Unity Platform to the NRM during a rally by Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Mbarara last December, garnered 533 votes.
Addressing the media on Tuesday evening, Katembeya alleged that the electoral process was marred by irregularities but said he would not challenge the results in court. Despite rejecting the outcome, he maintained that he would not seek the mayoral seat again, ending his three consecutive bids against Kakyebezi.
Katembeya has contested against Kakyebezi in three successive elections under two opposition parties. He first challenged the incumbent twice on the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) ticket before his latest attempt under PFF. In 2016, when Mbarara was still a municipality, Katembeya polled 8,125 votes against Kakyebezi’s 25,239. He returned in 2021 after Mbarara’s elevation to city status but again fell short, securing 6,070 votes compared to Kakyebezi’s 23,465.
A businessman by profession, Katembeya joined active politics in 2001 under the FDC led by Kizza Besigye. Kakyebezi, a former teacher and radio personality, entered politics in 2016 when he defeated then-mayor Wilson Tumwine, who now serves as NRM city chairperson.
