The High Court of Uganda has scheduled a hearing for January 7, 2026, in a high-stakes pre-election petition contesting the validity of nominations for the Nakawa Division West parliamentary seat ahead of the January 15 general elections.
A hearing notice released on January 6 outlines that the case, registered as Election Petition No. HCT-00-CV-EP-0008-2025, is set to commence at 10:00 a.m. in Kampala’s High Court.
Petitioner Ivan Bwowe is taking on the Electoral Commission along with seven fellow contenders: Happy Nasasira, Herbert Anderson Burora, Felix Okuye, Vincent Okumu, Joel Ssenyonyi, Wilberforce Kyambadde, and Apuuli Rwamiti.
Bwowe contends that the other candidates were improperly cleared to run in a constituency he describes as legally nonexistent—”Nakawa West”—while the sole officially gazetted and recognized electoral area for the 2025–2026 cycle remains Nakawa Division West.
He asserts that only his own nomination aligns with the correct designation and is urging the court to invalidate the rival nominations as unlawful and void. Additionally, he is requesting to be recognized as the unopposed winner under Section 19(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
The legal showdown follows an earlier public pushback from respondent Herbert Anderson Burora, who rejected Bwowe’s assertions via social media. Burora highlighted that the Electoral Commission had thoroughly vetted, endorsed, and stamped every candidate’s paperwork, making it implausible for the body to have approved entries for a nonexistent area.
He urged Bwowe to pursue the issue through the courts—an invitation that has now materialized.
This dispute unfolds amid a series of nomination controversies in the ongoing electoral period, including instances where multiple National Unity Platform (NUP) hopefuls faced rejections over alleged shortfalls in academic qualifications and paperwork.
NUP representatives have voiced suspicions that incumbent MP Joel Ssenyonyi may be specifically targeted for exclusion. The party has repeatedly charged the Electoral Commission with bias toward the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), claims the Commission has consistently refuted, insisting its rulings adhere strictly to legal and regulatory standards.
For voters and parties involved, the notice stresses that non-appearance—either personally or via legal representation—could allow the court to proceed ex parte.
The ruling may preserve the multi-candidate contest as is or compel revisions to the nomination roster, potentially reshaping the race in one of Kampala’s most fiercely competitive constituencies.
The Electoral Commission has so far offered no official statement regarding the pending judicial proceedings.