Former Isingiro North parliamentary aspirant James Atwiine Nkizimagara sparked drama after he chained himself to the main gate of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
He was protesting what he calls the unfair invalidation of his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) academic documents.
Nkizimagara, who was recently disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) from the 2026 parliamentary race on grounds that he submitted forged academic credentials, insists UNEB is responsible for what he calls a politically engineered decision.
Speaking to journalists as security attempted to persuade him to unchain himself, the visibly agitated aspirant accused UNEB officials of “acting under political influence to tarnish my name and block my candidature.”
“UNEB knows my papers are genuine. They are doing this to please certain politicians. I will not leave this gate until they explain why they invalidated my results,” Nkizimagara said.
The former aspirant lost the NRM primary election in Isingiro North and opted to run as an independent candidate against incumbent State Minister for Animal Husbandry Bright Rwamirama. His disqualification by the EC last week effectively shut him out of the 2026 race, a decision he blames squarely on UNEB.
Security personnel were later seen engaging him in negotiations as tensions drew a curious crowd outside the UNEB offices in Kyambogo. UNEB officials had by press time not issued a formal statement on the incident.
The dramatic protest adds a new twist to an already heated Isingiro North contest, where allegations of political interference and foul play have been circulating since the primaries.
