The High Court in Iganga has nullified the election of Nankwanga Stella Maris as Bugweri District Woman Member of Parliament, citing failure to present the required academic qualifications at the time of nomination.
In a judgment delivered on November 13, 2026, Justice Simon Peter Kinobe declared Nankwanga’s first runner-up, Aminah Nalugoda Mutesi, the duly elected Woman MP for Bugweri District.
The court found that Nankwanga did not possess or present the requisite academic qualifications during the nomination exercise, making her election invalid.
At the centre of the dispute was the academic documentation Nankwanga submitted to the Electoral Commission. The judge ruled that the Post Basic Diploma in Public Health she presented during nomination did not satisfy the required academic qualification.
The court further noted that the corrected Diploma in Public Health was issued after the nomination exercise, meaning it could not cure the deficiency in her academic credentials at the time she was nominated.
The ruling overturns the January 15, 2026 parliamentary election results in which Nankwanga was declared winner with 15,151 votes, defeating Nalugoda, who polled 13,683 votes.
Nalugoda had challenged Nankwanga’s election, questioning the validity of the academic qualifications she relied on to secure nomination.
With the court declaring her duly elected, Nalugoda is set to take the parliamentary seat, subject to the applicable electoral and parliamentary procedures.
