The High Court in Kampala has nullified the election of Hon. Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola as Member of Parliament for Kawempe Division North, citing major irregularities that “substantially affected” the outcome. The court has ordered the Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh election.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Bernard Namanya, the court found that over 16,000 eligible voters, including petitioner Hon. Nambi Faridah Kigongo of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), were denied the right to vote during the March 2025 by-election. The judge noted this level of disenfranchisement was too significant to ignore.
Additionally, Justice Namanya cited illegal election-day campaigning by Nalukoola at polling stations in Mbogo Primary School Playground and Kazo Angola, actions which contravene Sections 100 (1) and (2) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
“The election of Luyimbazi Elias Nalukoola as a Directly Elected Member of Parliament for Kawempe Division North is hereby set aside,” Justice Namanya declared. He also ruled that the seat be declared vacant and that the Electoral Commission must organize a fresh vote.
The court declined to award costs to either party, directing each to bear its own legal expenses.
The decision follows a petition by NRM’s Nambi Faridah Kigongo, who alleged widespread electoral malpractice, including missing results from several polling stations, illegal campaigning, voter bribery, and obstruction by Nalukoola’s campaign team.
The March by-election had itself been a rerun, triggered by the nullification of the 2021 victory of National Unity Platform (NUP) member Muhammad Ssegirinya over questions of academic qualification. Nalukoola, also backed by NUP, had stepped in and won amid a tense and heavily policed campaign period.
The latest court ruling throws Kawempe North back into political limbo, setting the stage for a third high-stakes contest. The Electoral Commission is expected to announce a new roadmap for the vote in the coming weeks.
