The High Court in Kampala has upheld the Electoral Commission’s decision to disqualify National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Mathias Walukagga from the Busiro East parliamentary race over insufficient academic qualifications.
Justice Simon Peter Kinobe delivered the judgment electronically on Sunday, dismissing Walukagga’s appeal against the Commission’s nullification of his nomination.
The disqualification followed a complaint by registered voter John Lubowa Kilimiro, who argued that the Kyengera Town Council Mayor did not meet the educational requirements to contest for a parliamentary seat.
In his ruling, Justice Kinobe noted that Walukagga’s Mature Age/Aptitude Test certificate, presented during the nomination process, had expired before the nomination date and could not lawfully support his candidacy. “The question before the Electoral Commission was whether the academic credentials presented by the petitioner were valid for purposes of nomination. The discussion revolved around the expiry of the same,” the judge stated.
Walukagga was nominated on October 23, 2025, to contest for the legislative position currently held by Medard Sseggona. The court found that his certificate had expired on June 12, 2025, rendering both the certificate and any National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) equivalence invalid.
Justice Kinobe also dismissed the argument that a letter from the International University of East Africa (IUIU), suggesting conditional validity of the certificate for further studies, could override the legal requirements. “The letter from IUIU dated November 11, 2025, cannot override the express legal framework,” he said.
The court further rejected Walukagga’s claims that the Electoral Commission lacked jurisdiction to entertain Kilimiro’s complaint, and dismissed preliminary objections challenging the Commission’s decision and the appeal’s competence, affirming that the petition was properly before the court.
Consequently, the High Court dismissed Walukagga’s appeal and upheld the Electoral Commission’s decision to cancel his nomination for the Busiro East parliamentary seat.
