The High Court of Uganda has dismissed an election petition filed by National Unity Platform’s Walukagga Mathias, affirming his removal from the Busiro East parliamentary race over lack of valid academic qualifications at the time of nomination.

In a judgment delivered on December 21, 2025, Simon Peter M. Kinobe ruled that Walukagga relied on an expired academic certificate when he presented his nomination papers, rendering his candidature invalid under the law.

The court held that an expired certificate cannot support a lawful nomination and found that Walukagga did not possess the required valid academic qualification at the time he sought clearance to contest.

Justice Kinobe further ruled that the Electoral Commission acted within the law when it disqualified Walukagga and set aside his nomination for the Busiro East parliamentary contest.

“An expired certificate cannot support a legitimate nomination,” the judge ruled, adding that the petitioner’s nomination “was rightly set aside by the Electoral Commission.”

While dismissing the petition, the court declined to award costs to the respondents, noting that the matter raised a significant public interest issue that had not previously been tested in Uganda’s courts. Each party was therefore ordered to bear its own costs.

The ruling clarifies the legal position on academic qualifications in electoral nominations and reinforces the obligation on candidates to meet all requirements at the time of nomination.