KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s High Court has upheld the disqualification of Mathias Walukaga, a leading opposition figure from the National Unity Platform (NUP), from contesting the Busiro East parliamentary seat, dealing a major setback to the party ahead of the 2026 general elections.
In an electronic ruling delivered on Sunday, Justice Simon Peter Kinobe dismissed Walukaga’s appeal against the Electoral Commission (EC), finding that he did not meet the minimum academic qualifications required for nomination at the time he presented his papers.
At the centre of the dispute was Walukaga’s Mature Age/Aptitude Test certificate, which he relied upon to satisfy the academic threshold for parliamentary candidates under Ugandan law. The court established that while Walukaga was nominated on October 23, 2025, the certificate had expired more than four months earlier, on June 12.
“From the above timeline, I find that the petitioner’s only academic qualification had expired by the date of nomination,” Justice Kinobe ruled. “As such, both the certificate and the purported equivalence issued by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) were invalid.”
Court rejects IUIU letter
Mathias Walukaga, the musician-turned-politician, had argued that a letter from the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), dated November 11, 2025, supported the continued validity of his credentials, particularly for purposes of further academic progression. However, the court rejected this argument, stating that such correspondence could not supersede statutory requirements governing electoral qualifications.
“The letter suggesting conditional validity for purposes of enrollment into further studies cannot override the express legal framework governing nominations to Parliament,” Justice Kinobe held.
The case was brought by John Lubowa Kilimiro, a registered voter in Busiro East, who challenged Walukaga’s eligibility shortly after the nomination process.
Also Read: EC cancels NUP’s Walukaga nomination for Busiro East MP race
Walukaga currently serves as Mayor of Kyengera Town Council and is a well-known folk musician who has transitioned into active politics.
The judge also dismissed Walukaga’s objection to the Electoral Commission’s mandate, affirming that the commission has clear statutory authority to assess whether candidates meet all eligibility requirements at the point of nomination.
“The issue before the Electoral Commission was straightforward,” Justice Kinobe noted. “It concerned whether the academic credentials presented were valid at the time of nomination, and the answer turned on the expiry of those credentials.”
Political fallout
Walukaga had been positioning himself as a potential successor to Busiro East incumbent Medard Sseggona. His removal from the race significantly reshapes the constituency contest and adds to a growing list of legal challenges faced by the opposition NUP, led by Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
The ruling effectively closes Walukaga’s current bid for Parliament, leaving the opposition party scrambling to recalibrate its strategy in a constituency considered politically competitive ahead of the 2026 polls.
