KAMPALA
The High Court in Kampala has dismissed an election petition filed by Kyengera Town Council mayor, Mathias Walukagga, challenging the Electoral Commission’s decision to cancel his nomination for the Busiro East parliamentary seat.
In his Sunday ruling, Justice Simon Kinobe said Mr Walukagga’s expired certificate presented at the time of his nomination cannot lead to a legitimate nomination.
“The petitioner did not possess a valid academic qualification at the time of nomination. His nomination was invalid and rightly set aside by the 1st respondent (Electoral Commission) for the above reasons,” ruled Justice Kinobe, before adding that the Electoral Commission rightly denominated Mr Walukagga, who was the flag bearer for National Unity Platform (NUP).
What is surprising is the giving of the ruling on a Sunday –which is not a working day . Justice Kinobe had promised to give his ruling tomorrow , Monday , December 22.
The petition arose from the EC’s decision to disqualify Walukaga from contesting for the Busiro East parliamentary seat, on grounds that he lacked the requisite minimum academic qualifications. Walukaga argues that he was duly nominated on October 23, 2025, and that his academic documents, including a Mature Age certificate issued by the Islamic University in Uganda and equated by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), were valid.
According to Chapter 4(1c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005, any person vying for the parliamentary seat must have completed a minimum formal education of Advanced Level standard or its equivalent.
Mr Walukagga stated that his academic documents are authentic and valid making him eligible to contest for the race as per the law there, noting they were certified by the NCHE after a series of updates.
He further revealed that he is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public administration and management from St Lawrence University after he used the same documents for admission.
“When you say that my certificate is invalid, do you want to say that I am at school illegally? When I was nominated, I presented these same documents, and they were accepted. Why are they saying that my certificates have expired now? This was a political decision, but we are heading to the High Court to seek a meaningful legal decision,” he said.
The EC’s decision has since attracted mixed reactions and stirred debate, with some commentators arguing that it is a move by the regime to eliminate opposition candidates, especially members of NUP. This came after NRM’s flag bearer in Lwemiyaga County Brig (rtd) Emmanuel Rwashande also presented a similar certificate from NCHE and was cleared by EC without giving any objection . Walukagga’s troubles started when a voter in the constituency petitioned EC.
Walukagga, a first-time contender, beat seasoned politician and lawyer and incumbent MP Medard Sseggona in NUP party primaries.
Sseggona, who publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the process, opted to seek re-election as an independent candidate.
The development dramatically reconfigures the contest and is likely to trigger political fallout within NUP, whose internal processes had already sparked friction in the constituency. It is not yet clear whether NUP will put its weight behind Emmanuel Magoola Matovu ,an independent but NUP-leaning candidate or Ssengoona. Also in the race are; Engineer Nakate Lilian (Ind) ,Nasolo Irene(Ind) ,
NRM’s Abdul Kiyimba,Kangave Fred, Banji Fatuma of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT),Kalungi Masmuus, among others — making Busiro East one of the most crowded political arenas in the district.