MBALE, Uganda — The High Court in Mbale has ordered the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) to release certified registration records relating to two individuals at the centre of a citizenship dispute involving Namisindwa County Member of Parliament (MP), Metrine Nanzala.
The ruling, delivered through the Judiciary’s Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS), arises from an election petition filed by Apollo Masika, who is challenging Nanzala’s election on grounds that she is allegedly not a Ugandan citizen and is therefore ineligible to serve in Parliament.
Nanzala was elected in January 2026 after securing 9,521 votes against Masika’s 6,196. The legislator has consistently dismissed the allegations, describing the petition as politically motivated.
Speaking during the National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs’ retreat in April 2026, Nanzala said she felt unfairly targeted by political opponents and appealed for protection from what she termed persistent attacks on her legitimacy.
The dispute largely revolves around Nanzala’s parentage.
Masika argues that Nanzala is not the biological daughter of Agnes Nelima and the late Michael Walyama, claiming the couple had only four children, among them Evans Wekesa, and that Nanzala is not a member of the family.
Nanzala, however, maintains that Nelima and Walyama are her biological parents. She relies on an affidavit sworn by Nelima, who states that she and the late Walyama had five children, including Nanzala.
The conflicting accounts have become a central issue in the election petition, prompting Masika to seek access to official records held by NIRA concerning Nelima and Wekesa.
According to Masika, the records are necessary to verify the accuracy of affidavits already filed before the court and establish the true composition of the family, which he argues is relevant to determining Nanzala’s citizenship status and eligibility to hold public office.
NIRA, through its Manager of Legal and Advisory Services, Brenda Kezaabu Agaba, informed the court that information contained in the National Identification Register is protected by law but may be disclosed pursuant to a court order.
Nanzala opposed the application, arguing that the individuals whose records were being sought were not parties to the proceedings and had not been formally served with the application.
She further contended that the request was frivolous, incompetent and outside the court’s jurisdiction, insisting that the law provides a specific statutory procedure for accessing information held by NIRA.
Her legal team also argued that she had been improperly joined to the application since no direct orders were being sought against her.
In a ruling delivered on June 2, Justice Dr Farouk Lubega dismissed the preliminary objections and affirmed the High Court’s authority to order access to information contained in the National Identification Register where such information is necessary for the determination of a case.
The judge held that courts, as government institutions, are entitled under the law to access information held by NIRA whenever it is required for judicial proceedings.
Justice Lubega also rejected claims that Nanzala had been improperly joined to the application, noting that the outcome of the request would directly affect her interests in the substantive election petition.
The judge observed that a key issue before the court is whether Nelima and the late Walyama had four or five children and whether Nanzala is among their biological children.
Finding that the requested records could assist in resolving the dispute, the court ordered NIRA to provide certified copies of all registration details relating to Nelima and Wekesa contained in the National Identification Register.
The court further directed that the costs of the application will abide by the outcome of the main election petition.
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The latest ruling comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Nanzala’s citizenship status.
In September 2025, NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo issued Nanzala with a seven-day ultimatum to prove her Ugandan citizenship following concerns that she could be a Kenyan national.
The notice warned that failure to provide satisfactory evidence could result in the cancellation of her registration on grounds that it had allegedly been obtained through inaccurate or fraudulent information.
The main election petition challenging Nanzala’s eligibility remains pending before the High Court.
