MUKONO, Uganda — As presidential and parliamentary campaigns draw national focus, races for lower local government positions are intensifying across the country. In Mukono District, the contest for LC5 chairperson is under unusual scrutiny, with residents increasingly vocal about the disconnect between campaign pledges and the urgent realities affecting ordinary people.
The race is primarily between National Unity Platform candidate Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga and former district chairperson Francis Lukooya “Mukoome” of the National Resistance Movement. Despite their political experience, many residents say both candidates have struggled to articulate clear solutions to the district’s pressing challenges: poor infrastructure, youth unemployment, water scarcity, health service gaps and stalled government recruitment.
Muyanja has drawn large crowds, especially in Mukono South, where he recently resumed campaigning after hospitalization. Yet the enthusiasm at his rallies has not translated into confidence in his development agenda. During a recent stop, much of his speech focused on explaining NUP’s internal decisions — including that the party asked him to withdraw from the parliamentary race to allow Robert Maseruka to run for MP.
He also lamented security restrictions that prevented NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi from campaigning in the area, promising arrangements were underway to bring him back. While the crowd cheered, Muyanja offered little detail on how he would address Mukono’s long-standing problems.
In an interview, he listed priorities such as fighting corruption, lobbying for district development resources, combating land grabbing and restoring green spaces. Voters say those commitments remain broad and lack the specificity needed to tackle deep-rooted issues.
Despite having previously served as MP for Mukono South and as both division and municipality mayor—along with holding influence in the Anglican community where he serves as head laity—residents argue that his campaign remains weak in Mukono North and Nakifuma. In response, his team has plastered posters across the two constituencies in a bid to boost visibility.
Meanwhile, Lukooya has crafted a message that aligns more directly with Mukono’s structural problems, though he has struggled to galvanize crowds at the same scale. He frequently highlights achievements from his earlier tenure, such as Mukono being the first district to purchase a grader and a borehole drilling rig—investments he says have since been neglected, contributing to the district’s current water coverage of less than 60 percent.
He has centered his campaign on restoring service delivery, reviving stalled youth employment initiatives, and resuscitating the district’s once-promising call center project, which was initially intended to generate jobs but now operates as a basic internet café. Lukooya believes that functional call centers would reduce the number of youth seeking unregulated labour opportunities in the Middle East by enabling them to earn foreign income from home.
His agenda also includes reintroducing garbage recycling programs, improving the state of roads, enhancing street lighting, and reinstating municipal supervision to reduce waste mismanagement. He further proposes expanding vocational training by partnering with local workshops and garages to certify young people through national trade testing programs.
However, Lukooya continues to face skepticism from residents who recall his previous leadership as unresponsive to advice. Critics say he lacks the resources needed to meet community demands and alienated religious leaders by supporting annual gatherings of traditional healers at the district gardens rather than the church-led services favoured by his successors.
Amid the dominance of the two front-runners, district youth councillor Rauben Ssenyonjo has also emerged with a message that appeals to policy-minded voters, though his overall support remains limited. Ssenyonjo has focused on lobbying for youth employment, addressing the district’s recruitment crisis caused by the stalled District Service Commission, equipping upgraded health facilities, improving road maintenance, and advocating for the construction of markets, refurbishing schools, and building teachers’ quarters. His ideas have impressed civic groups and some youth, but he lacks the resources to campaign across the entire district.
Despite the variety of promises, many residents feel that candidates are placing too much emphasis on party politics, personal rivalries, and past achievements, while neglecting the immediate, practical needs of communities. Local government leaders are central to translating national policies into local action—managing public resources, overseeing health and education services, maintaining infrastructure, and responding to emergencies.
Yet, voters say these core responsibilities have barely featured meaningfully in the campaigns. Drake Kasimaggwa, a resident of Mukono Central Division, expressed growing frustration. He urged candidates to rethink their manifestos and prioritize the real challenges affecting the district. He argued that leaders should offer practical solutions rather than simply diagnosing problems, insisting that the culture of prioritizing political parties over community welfare must end.
