MASINDI. A former district engineer who was once jailed for corruption but later pardoned by President Museveni has finally been nominated to contest for Masindi Municipality MP.
This development ends a month-long standoff that triggered legal battles and split public opinion.
On Monday, the Electoral Commission (EC) confirmed Mr Vincent Tumwesigwe, an Independent candidate, as the sixth contender in the race, a month after the Masindi Returning Officer rejected his initial nomination on grounds that a presidential pardon does not restore eligibility for public office.
Mr Tumwesigwe was convicted in 2019 for misusing a government bulldozer while serving as Masindi District Works Supervisor. He was charged together with Ministry of Works operator Mr John Bosco Odokonyero and imprisoned in Luzira before being included among 200 prisoners pardoned by President Museveni in August 2023.
When he attempted to seek nomination last month, the returning officer cited legal guidance from the Solicitor General and the EC Legal Department, both arguing that Section 46 of the Anti-Corruption Act bars anyone convicted under it from holding public office, regardless of a presidential pardon.
The decision fuelled debate in Masindi, with some residents insisting leaders must have “clean records,” while others argued that a presidential pardon should “fully restore a person’s rights.”
Mr Tumwesigwe rejected the decision and petitioned the Electoral Commission Tribunal on 24 October 2025. His lawyer, Mr Murungi Ronald of Aeton Advocates, asked the tribunal to set aside the guidance, saying it had “no binding legal force.”
He argued that Article 121 of the 1995 Constitution grants the President an unrestricted power to pardon convicted persons.
“Once a person is pardoned by the President, all the disabilities and restrictions arising from the conviction are removed. This includes the restriction that bars a convicted person from holding public office,” Mr Murungi told the tribunal.
He cited former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as an example of a pardoned ex-convict who successfully contested for office.
The tribunal, chaired by EC Chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, examined the Constitution, the Anti-Corruption Act, the Solicitor General’s opinion and past court decisions before ruling that the pardon restored Mr Tumwesigwe’s rights and therefore could not be overridden by an ordinary Act of Parliament.
On Monday, the EC nominated him, adding him to a field that includes Roger Byamukama (NRM), Steven Wandera (NUP), Cosmas Byaruhanga (Independent) and Joab Busiinge (FDC).
“I thank God, I thank my lawyer, and I thank the Electoral Commission Tribunal for giving me justice. Now I am ready to campaign and serve my people,” Mr Tumwesigwe said.
Masindi political analyst Mr Adolf Myanga said the former convict’s journey “from conviction, to pardon, to being blocked, and finally cleared” may win him sympathy from voters.
Uganda will hold its general election on January 15, 2026, to decide new MPs and a president.