Kampala, Uganda: Uganda’s Electoral Commission (EC) has dismissed a petition challenging the nomination of opposition figure Joel Ssenyonyi and six other candidates for the Nakawa Division West parliamentary seat ahead of the 2026 general elections. The ruling reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to procedural integrity while rejecting what it deemed a technically flawed challenge.
The petition, filed under reference MIN. COMP 042/2025 by Bwowe Ivan, a lawyer, human rights activist, and candidate representing the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), argued that the nominations were invalid due to alleged inconsistencies in the naming of the constituency. Bwowe contended that references to “Nakawa Division West” instead of “Nakawa West Constituency” rendered the nomination papers defective.
After reviewing the matter in a meeting held on November 10, the Commission found no merit in the complaint. It noted that while some respondents referred to the constituency as “Nakawa West,” Bwowe himself alternated between that name and the legally recognised “Nakawa Division West.” All candidates, including Bwowe, had signed a Control Form listing the correct constituency name, confirming awareness of the official designation.
The Commission further observed that all aspirants submitted campaign schedules covering the same geographical area, even if their campaign dates differed. This demonstrated that they were contesting for one and the same constituency. Any inconsistencies in naming, it added, were resolved during the harmonisation of the official campaign programme on October 31, 2025, before the Returning Officer. By the time Bwowe filed his complaint on November 6, the error “had long been corrected.”
The EC also pointed out that Bwowe’s own campaign posters used both “Nakawa West” and “Nakawa Division West,” undermining his claim that the inconsistency was prejudicial. “In view of the foregoing,” the Commission ruled, “the complaint had no merit and the same stands dismissed.”
With the dismissal, all eight respondents remain validly nominated for the Nakawa Division West contest. The cleared candidates include Nasasira Happy, Okuye Felix Ephraim, Okumu Vincent Norbert, Kyambadde Wilberforce, Rwamiti Apuuli, Burora Herbert Anderson, and incumbent MP Joel Ssenyonyi.
Ssenyonyi, who also serves as Leader of Opposition in Parliament and spokesperson for the National Unity Platform (NUP), welcomed the ruling as a victory for democratic processes. “The EC has dismissed the petition challenging our nominations for lacking merit. To the petitioner: instead of legal shortcuts, let’s engage the voters directly. The battle for Nakawa West is on the ground, not in court,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
This is not the first time Ssenyonyi’s hold on Nakawa West has faced legal scrutiny. In the 2021 elections, he won with 31,653 votes against NRM’s Margaret Zziwa Nantongo, who polled 9,450. That victory was challenged by businessman Shukla Mukesh Mambubai (Shumuk), but the High Court dismissed the case for lack of evidence, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2022.
Bwowe’s latest challenge fits into a broader pattern of opposition strongholds facing repeated legal battles. Unlike past disputes, however, his petition targeted the nomination phase rather than the election results. A former Guild President at Makerere University and a seasoned litigator, Bwowe has built a reputation as a tenacious advocate for electoral reform. His activism extends beyond elections, including legal challenges against the government over the 2019 ban on red berets and labor export regulations. More recently, he represented opposition leader Joseph Kabuleta in cases alleging arbitrary arrests in 2024.
The PFF, which Bwowe represents, is a new entrant in Uganda’s political arena. Registered earlier this year after gathering over 5,000 signatures, the party positions itself as a voice for marginalized youth and a champion of transparent governance. Bwowe’s petition against Ssenyonyi marks one of its first high-profile interventions, signaling ambitions to disrupt established opposition strongholds.
The EC’s decision, signed by Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama and copied to the Kampala Returning Officer and all affected candidates, clears the way for a full contest in what is expected to be one of Kampala’s most heated parliamentary races in 2026.
