Kalangala, Uganda: The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party candidate Idah Nabayiga has been declared winner of the Kalangala District Woman Member of Parliament by-election, reclaiming the island district seat from the opposition after a decisive victory over National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer Irene Nampala.
Official results announced by the Returning Officer for Kalangala District, Ronald Agaba, indicate that Nabayiga polled 12,642 votes against Nampala’s 7,474 votes, securing victory with a margin of 5,168 votes, declaring her the outright winner of the Woman MP seat.
“Accordingly, as Returning Officer for Kalangala Electoral District and in accordance with Section 72 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap. 177, I declare Idah Nabayiga who has obtained the largest number of votes to be the elected candidate for District Woman Representative to Parliament for Kalangala Electoral District,” Mr Agaba declared.
Other candidates, both independent, Sharifah Babirye and Hellen Flavia Nagawa, garnered 244 and 217 votes, respectively, while Agnes Nasuuna polled 34 votes.
A total of 20,611 valid votes were cast, alongside 427 rejected ballots.
Nabayiga’s victory marks a major political comeback for Nabayiga, a former Kalangala Woman MP who represented the district in the 10th Parliament under the NRM ticket before losing the seat to opposition candidate Hellen Nakimuli in the 2021 general election.
The by-election attracted national attention because it was being viewed as a test of political strength between the ruling NRM and the opposition NUP in one of Uganda’s most unique island constituencies.
For the past five years, the seat had been held by the late former MP, Hon Hellen Nakimuli, popularly known as “Mama Kalangala,” who won it on the NUP ticket in 2021 and successfully defended it during the January 2026 general elections.
Nakimuli was widely regarded as one of the opposition’s most influential grassroots leaders in the Ssese Islands and was known for championing issues affecting fishing communities, women, and youth.
However, tragedy struck in April this year when the woman legislator died under mysterious circumstances following complications from a surgical procedure at a Kampala health facility, creating a vacancy in the district’s Woman MP seat only months after she had secured re-election for a second term.
The Electoral Commission subsequently organised a by-election to fill the vacancy in accordance with constitutional requirements.
NUP Fronted Nakimuli’s Sister
Seeking to retain the seat, seat holders NUP selected Irene Nampala, the elder sister of the late Nakimuli, as its flag bearer following a competitive internal selection process that attracted more than a dozen aspirants.
The opposition party leaders hoped sympathy generated by Nakimuli’s death and the family’s long-standing connection to Kalangala voters would help maintain the opposition’s grip on the constituency.
Throughout the campaign period, NUP leaders repeatedly described the by-election as a battle to preserve the political legacy of the late Nakimuli.
Yet on the other hand, the NRM rallied behind Nabayiga, a seasoned politician and former legislator whose political roots in Kalangala stretch back many years. The ruling party framed the contest as an opportunity to regain a seat it had lost in 2021 and restore what it described as stronger collaboration between the district and central government.
Despite the outcome, the by-election was not without controversy.
Shortly after voting and tallying commenced, NUP leaders and supporters accused the ruling party of engaging in electoral malpractice, including alleged ballot stuffing, voter bribery and intimidation of opposition agents.
Several party officials, including Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya, claimed the election environment was not entirely level and raised concerns over the conduct of some polling stations.
But the NRM and election officials rejected the allegations, insisting that the exercise was conducted in accordance with electoral laws and procedures.
By press time, the Electoral Commission had not announced any formal investigations into the claims, while NUP leaders were still consulting on their next course of action regarding the election results.
Who is Idah Nabayiga?
Nabayiga is no stranger to Kalangala politics.
Born in Kalangala District, she previously served as the district’s Woman MP after winning the seat on the NRM ticket in 2016. Before joining elective politics, she worked as a Community Development Officer and later a Human Resource Officer under Kalangala District Local Government.
A trained teacher, Nabayiga has also been recognised for occasionally taking positions that differed from those of her party, including publicly questioning aspects of government policy affecting fishing communities around Lake Victoria.
Her return to Parliament now strengthens the NRM’s numerical advantage in the incoming 12th Parliament while handing the ruling party a symbolic victory in a constituency that had become an opposition stronghold over the last electoral cycle.
As celebrations erupted among NRM supporters across Kalangala’s islands, attention is now turning to how Nabayiga intends to address the challenges that dominated the campaign and whether she can build on the legacy left behind by her predecessor while delivering on promises made to voters.
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