Kampala, Uganda: The Electoral Commission has thrown out a petition filed by lawyer and parliamentary aspirant Ivan Bwowe seeking to nullify the nomination of seven contenders for the Nakawa West constituency, ruling that his complaint had no merit.
In a decision delivered on Monday, December 01, EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said the Returning Officer acted within the law when he nominated all eight candidates for the 2026 Nakawa West parliamentary race.
“In view of the foregoing, the Commission resolved that the complaint had no merit and the same stands dismissed. Accordingly, the Commission upholds the decision of the Returning Officer Kampala in nominating the respondents,” Justice Byabakama stated, confirming that all parties had been formally notified.
Bwowe lodged his complaint on November 6, 2025, arguing that the legally recognized name is Nakawa Division West and not Nakawa West. He claimed that because of this alleged discrepancy, only he was validly nominated, insisting that seven others, including sitting MP Joel Besekezi Ssenyonyi, were nominated under a “nonexistent constituency.”
Bwowe further alleged that six of the candidates are registered voters in Nakawa Division West but nominated under Nakawa West, while one aspirant is registered in Mbarara North Division and therefore ineligible to run in Nakawa.
He asked the Electoral Commission to declare him MP on grounds that an unopposed candidate may be declared elected, but the Commission found no basis for any of his arguments and reaffirmed the validity of all nominations.
By upholding the Returning Officer’s decision, the EC has formally cleared all eight candidates to compete in the 2026 Nakawa West parliamentary race. These include Joel Besekezi Ssenyonyi (incumbent), Happy Nasasira, Herbert Anderson Burora, Felix Ephraim Okuye, Ivan Bwohe, Vincent Norbert Okumu, Wilberforce Kyambadde, and Rwamiti Apuuli.
Reacting to the ruling, MP Joel Ssenyonyi welcomed the decision, saying the petition “had no merit” and urged Bwowe to return to the campaign trail and face the electorate.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
