2026 polls: Who will take Kampala Woman MP seat?

KAMPALA - The Kampala Woman Member of Parliament (MP) race is heating up, with 11 candidates showing interest in the sea. It is currently occupied by Shamim Malende of the National Unity Platform (NUP). 

Two other NUP contestants have joined other opposition aspirants to vie for the same seat. But the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has the biggest number of aspirants — five. 

Although the NRM takes one flagbearer, other candidates are expected to run as independents. 

Other opposition parties have also fronted candidates, including the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), National Peasants Party (NPP) and the Democratic Front (DF). 

The seat is considered a plum position, offering a platform for the winner to influence policy and advocate interests of women in the city. 

As such, the competition is fierce, with candidates from various parties and backgrounds throwing their hats into the ring, using religion and connections to the powers that be.
 
A close scrutiny has established that some candidates are leveraging their religious affiliations to garner support, while others are seeking to use their political connections to survive. 

Political analyst and Makerere University don Prof. Mwambusya Ndebesa, said the use of religion and connections to influence voters may undermine democracy and candidate credibility. 

“Voters may view candidates who leverage these factors as lacking genuine commitment to their constituents’ needs. As campaigns heat up, voters will need to carefully consider the candidates’ policies. Ultimately, the winner will need to balance the demands of their constituents with the interests of their party and supporters,” Ndebesa observed. 
New Vision brings you the contenders;

Shamim Malende

Malende, the incumbent, is still battling for her life at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Malende, 38, was on July 20, 2022, airlifted to Aga Khan Hospital for medical treatment when her health deteriorated. She has spent over three years on medication since her election in 2021. 

MP Shamim Malende

However, she was nominated in absentia after her aides presented her credentials to the NUP electoral management committee. A staunch Muslim, lawyer and close confidante of NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, Malende is a force to reckon with.

Zahahara Luyirika 

Luyirika is the current Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) speaker, also with connections to NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi. Luyirika has also been hobnobbing with top Muslim leaders, hoping to tap into the Muslim vote in Kampala.

 

Zahahara Luyirika 

Her chances to get the NUP ticket are high due to the party’s willingness to capture the KCCA political leadership where she wielded power as a speaker. 

Winfred Nakandi 

Nakandi officially submitted her expression of interest forms to represent NUP as the Woman MP for Kampala. Previously an NRM supporter, Nakandi crossed to NUP, saying her previous party had failed to tackle Kampala’s challenges. 

Winfred Nakandi

She now wants to take on Kampala’s challenges head-on. With Malende currently unwell, it remains to be seen who will be given the NUP ticket should her condition render her unable to contest. 

Amina Nanziri Lukanga 

A former resident city commissioner for Kampala and Mbarara cities, Lukanga has expressed interest in the NRM party ticket in her quest to become the Kampala Woman MP. Lukanga, who is vying for the ticket with other contenders, has a wealth of connections both within the party and the business community. 

Amina Nanziri Lukanga 

A strong mobiliser, Lukanga is close to Kampala minister Minsa Kabanda and business moguls in downtown Kampala. She has mobilised for NRM in Kampala, and her persistence earned her the appointment of RCC. 

Hasinah Muwanga 

Muwanga is also seeking to take the NRM flag for the Kampala Woman MP seat. She emerged as a mobiliser under the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a political pressure group whose patron is the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. 

Hasinah Muwanga

As such, many PLU members believe Muwanga can turn around Kampala with her mobilisation skills and woo the youth to support her and the NRM party in the forthcoming elections.

Shamim Nanfuma  

Nanfuma is also seeking to capture Kampala using the NRM flag. Nanfuma, who is said to be a rich woman, has been on the ground looking for support in markets, schools, and contributing to various youth and women groups. During these meetings, Nanfuma has been explaining the NRM manifesto and what the party intends to do in the next five years.

Shamim Nanfuma

“NRM is the only hope for Uganda. We have consistently maintained peace, security and socio-economic development because of a conducive environment to do business in the city,” she explained while addressing the Ground Patriotic Checkers meeting at Bat Valley in Kampala recently. 

Safina Sofia Kenyangi 

The national chairperson, Uganda Muslim Women Council at Gadaffi National Mosque, has strong connections with the Office of the National Chairman (ONC) in Kyambogo, Kampala.

Safina Sofia Kenyangi 

A close associate of the head of the ONC office, Hadijah Uzeiye Namyalo and the Minister for Kampala and the Metropolitan Affairs, Hajat Minsa Kabanda, Kenyangi is deeply entrenched among the decision makers in the city. Kenyangi’s ties with several top NRM leaders is another advantage. 

Joelia Zake Namuli 

Namuli, who is considered as the leader for all, is also seeking to hold the NRM flag. Namuli brings fresh energy, integrity, and real change to Kampala. According to Namuli, she is the most suitable candidate to challenge Malende for the Kampala Woman MP seat. 

Mariam Obeid Lutale 

Mariam is a lawyer and daughter of jailed Haji Obeid Lutale, a political aide to Dr Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and PFF party chairperson of the Council of Eminent Persons. Besigye and Lutale are currently battling charges of treason and possession of military hardware in the High Court.

Mariam Obeid Lutale

Mariam intends to ride on her father’s popularity originating from the case he is facing with Besigye to get a sympathy vote. Declaring her interest in the seat at the PFF offices on Katonga Road in Nakasero on July 14, Mariam vowed to fight for opposition political prisoners, including her own father. 

Nana Mwafrika Namata 

Namata is an active political activist who is known for her revolutionary approach to issues that affect the community, especially corruption. A notorious protester in Kampala, Namata is remembered for being among protesters who demanded the resignation of Speaker of Parliament Anita Among over allegations of shielding the corrupt. 

“I hate corruption, I hate the corrupt and we shall fight until Uganda is free,” she said after picking forms to contest on the PFF party ticket. She originally belonged to the FDC. 

Stecia Mayanja 

Recently elected as the party president for the NPP at Sibyangu Hotel in Nateete Kampala, Stecia Mayanja vowed to take the Kampala Woman MP seat. A musician turned politician who returned from Canada where she had gone for Kyeyo (odd jobs), Mayanja declared her intention on July 4, at Nkima Gardens in Nansana municipality, Wakiso district.

Stecia Mayanja

“I shall take our country back to independence days where the poor and peasants’ issues mattered to the Government in power.

Grace Nakanwagi 

Representing the DF party led by Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga, Nakanwagi is a lawyer by profession.

Grace Nakanwagi 

Nakanwagi quit FDC to join Mpuuga. She is known for her advocacy work on women’s rights.