Former Isingiro North parliamentary contestant King James Atwine Nkizimaga has chained himself to the gate of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) in protest over the board’s failure to return his academic documents.
Last month, the Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified Atwine from the Isingiro North parliamentary race, in which he was set to contest against the State Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama. The disqualification followed UNEB’s invalidation of his academic documents.
Atwine says that after losing the NRM primaries, he returned as an independent candidate and was duly nominated on October 22, 2025.
A few days later, he was summoned by the EC to respond to a petition filed by one Kazungu Benson, whom he identified as a driver to a government minister, accusing him of possessing forged academic documents.
“At the hearing before Justice Simon Byabakama and the panel, I found Kazungu Benson as the petitioner. I asked the EC for time to verify the matter,” Atwine said during a press briefing.
He added that the EC had already received a letter from UNEB invalidating his academic certificates—something he says was done without his knowledge.
“I don’t know how UNEB invalidated my results without consulting me. Upon further inquiry, I discovered that the complaint concerned another person named Atwine James with index number 037. I, however, am Atwine James with index number 038,” he explained.
Atwine says he sought legal redress and obtained a consent order requiring UNEB to grant him a hearing regarding the validity of his documents. “UNEB has not yet done so,” he noted.
He also appealed to UNEB to return his academic documents since he is already out of the parliamentary race.
“My employers are on the verge of terminating my employment,” he said.
