The Electoral Commission has declared Julius Achire Labeja the winner of the fiercely contested Gulu City mayoral race, defeating the incumbent mayor and National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer Alfred Okwonga.
Results announced this morning by the Gulu City Returning Officer, Mike Jjuuko, show that Labeja, a political newcomer who ran as an independent candidate, garnered 12,281 votes, ahead of Okwonga, who polled 9,586 votes.
Other independent candidates trailed significantly, with Anthony Marc Obonyo coming third after polling 1,023 votes, followed by Jonathan Okello “Snoop” with 443 votes. A further 340 votes were cast in favour of Denis Okello Oweka, who had earlier withdrawn from the race but whose name remained on the ballot.
According to the Electoral Commission, a total of 24,404 votes were cast across 254 polling stations in the Laroo-Pece and Bardege-Layibi divisions. Of these, 664 votes were declared invalid.
“As the Returning Officer for Gulu City Electoral District, and in accordance with Section 147 of the Local Governments Act, Cap 138, I hereby declare Achire Julius Labeja, who has obtained the highest number of votes, as the duly elected Mayor of Gulu City. Congratulations,” Jjuko announced, amid jubilation from Labeja’s supporters.
Labeja, a first-time contender for the mayoral seat, had earlier lost in the NRM party primaries last year before opting to contest as an independent. He rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic through humorous and poetic skits shared on social media under the codename “Kabokolok ki Gunya,” which earned him widespread popularity among both young and older voters.
Throughout his campaign, the 39-year-old championed a manifesto focused on building a prosperous city through local investment in the Acholi sub-region, promoting safety and security, and advancing a smart and sustainable urban agenda.
In his maiden speech after being declared winner, Labeja thanked his supporters and congratulated his closest rival, Okwonga, for putting up a spirited contest. While acknowledging that this is his first foray into senior local government leadership, Labeja pledged commitment and dedication to fulfilling his campaign promises.
“I am embracing this with all my heart. I am committed and dedicated to it. For me, the work does not begin after the swearing-in, it starts now, it starts tonight,” Labeja said. In earlier interviews, the outgoing mayor, Okwonga, expressed disappointment over what he described as poor treatment within his own party, noting that the divisions created would “take a long time to heal.”
Despite being the NRM’s official flag bearer, Okwonga faced hostility from some party members at both local and national levels, several of whom openly supported his main rival. Okwonga was first elected Mayor of Gulu City in 2021.
Labeja, popularly known as Gunya, is married with two children and has been working in Canada, employed by the City of Toronto. For the past six years, he served under the Refugees Response Unit within Toronto Shelter Support and Social Services. He has also previously served in Uganda as the Chief Executive Director of CEEDS, a non-government organisation operating in Gulu City.
Meanwhile, results for the directly elected LCV councillors for Bardege-Layibi and Laroo-Pece divisions were also declared on Friday morning. In the Laroo-Pece Division, Morris Odong of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) was declared the winner after polling 4,863 votes, followed by Tony Francis Okot of the NRM with 3,722 votes, while Denis Owachgui Nono of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) came third with 3,518 votes.
Other candidates in the race included independent Richard Odong, who polled 735 votes, and Odong Richard, who garnered 179 votes. In Bardege-Layibi Division, Geoffrey Akena of the NRM emerged victorious with 5,564 votes, followed by independent candidate Sunday Olanya with 1,576 votes, while Lawrence Bongomin of the PFF came third with 1,375 votes.
Other candidates included Francis Oruni Onyut of the Democratic Party (DP) with 791 votes, Wilson Chagga Oyat of the FDC with 624 votes, and Samuel Odwar, who trailed with 311 votes.
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