By Ronnie Wabomba
MBALE CITY
Mbale City has finally elected a female mayor after independent candidate Joyce Kidulu Matuka was declared the winner of a hotly contested race that attracted ten candidates.
After a long wait marked by a series of recounts, the Mbale City Returning Officer, Michael Arinaitwe, on Friday afternoon, 23rd January, 2026 declared Kidulu the winner with 10,920 votes. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, Vincent Magombe, came second with 10,682 votes, while the incumbent FDC candidate, Namugali Wamatabu Cassim, finished third with 10,251 votes.
Independent candidate Mafabi Mutwalibi Zandya came fourth with 8,300 votes, followed by National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer Mansa Musa Murami in fifth place with 6,576 votes.
Mugoya Siraji (independent) finished sixth with 4,746 votes, Musuba Shafi (independent) came seventh with 1,223 votes, Kimaswa Rogers (independent) placed eighth with 880 votes, Mwanje Yahaya (independent) finished ninth with 284 votes, while Wambi Geoffrey (independent) came last with 91 votes.
Kidulu becomes the first female mayor since Mbale attained city status. She follows in the footsteps of former female mayors, including Janet Wesonga, who served from 1967 to the early 1970s and was instrumental in making Mbale a clean town—earning it the title “the cleanest town in East Africa” during her tenure. Wesonga was succeeded by Naome Nora Aryada, and now Joyce Kidulu takes her place in history.
