Seven nominated for Mbale city mayoral race

Seven candidates have been officially nominated to contest the Mbale City mayoral election, setting the stage for a hotly contested race.

The candidates include Cassim Namugali Wamatabu of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and Mutwalib Mafabi Zandya, the former mayor of the then-Mbale Municipality, who returns as an independent candidate after failing to secure the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, which went to Masa Musa.

Also in the race are Joyce Matuku Kidulu and Robert Kimaswa, both running as independents, alongside Vincent Magombe, who carries the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag.

Magombe won the party primaries against Yahaya Mwanje, a former Mbale district youth chairperson. However, Mwanje has bounced back as an independent candidate, promising to re-energise the city’s leadership.

Mwanje has been vocal in criticising the current city administration, accusing it of poor planning and neglect of critical infrastructure such as roads and drainage systems. He is running on a platform of timely service delivery, symbolised by a wristwatch.

Mwanje said Mbale is still very underdeveloped, and it needs an energetic young person who can drive it to better heights, pledging to prioritise youth engagement, governance reforms, and social development initiatives.

Other key issues expected to dominate the campaign include road maintenance, waste management, healthcare services, youth empowerment, business development, city planning and infrastructure.

Zandya told journalists after his nomination that he has “unfinished work” in the city, promising to revive and complete stalled projects from his earlier tenure.

Kidulu, meanwhile, is campaigning on the power of women in leadership, recalling how Mbale once won recognition as the cleanest town in East Africa under female leadership. Zandya said Mbale city is currently in a mess and needs a lady to steer its development.