MASAKA — The Masaka High Court has given the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) two days to clarify the academic qualifications of Ssembabule District Woman MP Florence Nambaziira after she told court that she never sat the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) or the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).
Justice Christine Akello issued the directive on Saturday following an application by lawyers representing Mary Begumisa, the former Ssembabule District Woman MP, who is challenging Nambaziira’s election in January 2026.
Nambaziira, a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), told court that she did not complete Primary Seven or Senior Four, explaining that she instead obtained a hairdressing certificate from Mengo Youth Vocational Center through the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT).
The course covered hair plaiting, washing and styling.
Her testimony prompted questions from Begumisa’s lawyer, Isaac Ebiro Ekirapa, who questioned how Nambaziira obtained an academic equivalence certificate from NCHE without having sat the primary and ordinary-level examinations.
Ekirapa argued that NCHE needed to appear before court to clarify the status of the documents relied upon to establish Nambaziira’s academic eligibility for Parliament.
Begumisa had previously obtained records from DIT confirming the existence of Nambaziira’s hairdressing certificate. However, the central question in the petition is whether that vocational qualification meets the academic requirements for election to Parliament and whether NCHE validly recognised it as equivalent to the required standard.
Uganda’s electoral laws require parliamentary candidates to possess a minimum academic qualification equivalent to Advanced Level standard. Candidates relying on alternative qualifications must demonstrate that their credentials meet the prescribed equivalency requirements.
The court’s directive is intended to establish the nature and validity of the academic equivalence documentation associated with Nambaziira.
Election petition
Nambaziira won the Ssembabule District Woman MP seat in the January 2026 elections with 61,638 votes, according to the official results.
Begumisa came second with 24,495 votes, while musician Nina Kankunda, popularly known as Nina Roz, received 15,345 votes. Esther Kyinkuhaire polled 8,281 votes.
Besides challenging Nambaziira’s academic qualifications, Begumisa’s petition raises allegations of electoral malpractice, including voter bribery, ballot stuffing, multiple voting and obstruction of polling agents in parts of the district, including Mawogola and Mawogola West.
The allegations remain subject to determination by the court.
NCHE is expected to respond within two days of Justice Akello’s order as the hearing continues.
The case will examine whether Nambaziira’s qualifications satisfy the legal requirements for parliamentary candidates and whether the grounds raised by Begumisa have legal merit to overturn the election.
The court has not yet determined the validity of Nambaziira’s qualifications or the allegations of electoral malpractice. Its eventual ruling will determine the legal implications of the issues raised in the petition.
