Mukono’s NUP dominated Council elects P.3 dropout as Deputy Speaker over University graduate

It’s all smiles for George Stanley Muwonge after being elected as Deputy Speaker for Mukono District.

Muwonge, a Primary three drop out also a member of Uganda’s main opposition political party-the National Unity Platform (NUP), represents Kyampisi Sub County.

According to Insight Post, an online news platform, Muwonge secured 24 votes, defeating Isaac Kitongo, a procurement and supply chain management graduate from Makerere University, who garnered 16 votes in an election that was held last Friday.

The seat fell vacant following the resignation of the former deputy speaker.

His victory is attributed to his affiliation with NUP, which has the majority of councilors in the district.

“Muwonge studied at Kyampisi CoU Primary School and has served as a councilor in Kyampisi Sub County for ten years. Kitongo, who ran as an independent candidate, joined the council after failing to secure the NUP flag to represent Koome Sub County islands,” Insight Post stated.

Kitongo currently works as a mentor under the Dreams Project at World Vision and previously served as the youth chairperson at Koome Islands.

During the council session, Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze suggested that the speaker declare Muwonge unopposed, as the name of his competitor had been mispronounced as ‘Kitongwa’.

“I have failed to get the name of the person who has been nominated, he does not exist in this council. Is it procedurally right to declare Muwonge unopposed?” Nambooze suggested. However, the speaker declined to rule on the matter.

To ensure that each candidate had a fair opportunity to express themselves, the speaker suspended the standard rules of procedure. Muwonge delivered his speech in Luganda, while his competitor spoke in English.

The position of the Mukono district deputy speaker became vacant when Robert Mwesigwa Ssentongo resigned for reasons known only to him. The speaker and deputy speaker are elected by the council from among themselves.

The speaker’s role includes presiding over council meetings, maintaining order, and enforcing the council’s rules of procedure, all aimed at strengthening accountability and improving public service delivery to citizens.