The High Court in Kampala has dismissed a pre-election petition by Ivan Bwowe challenging the nomination of parliamentary candidates for the Nakawa Division West seat in the 2026 general elections, ruling that minor naming errors on nomination forms did not invalidate the candidates’ eligibility. Justice Collins Acellam upheld an earlier decision by the Electoral Commission, finding that the omission of the word “Division” in some nomination papers was a clerical misnomer that was curable under the law and did not disqualify any aspirant.
Bwowe had argued that rival candidates were wrongly nominated for a non-existent constituency labeled “Nakawa West” instead of the legally recognised Nakawa Division West, and he sought orders to nullify their nominations and have himself declared MP unopposed. The court, however, found that any inconsistency in the naming was minor and corrected by the Electoral Commission during the nomination process. All candidates had submitted Control Forms clearly identifying the correct constituency, and campaign documents confirmed that all aspirants intended to contest in the same electoral area. Justice Acellam emphasised that courts must prioritise substantive justice over formal technicalities and that allowing minor errors to overturn valid nominations would undermine the electoral process.
The High Court also highlighted that Bwowe himself had used the term “Nakawa West” on official forms and did not raise the issue before the Electoral Commission or the court. The ruling reinforces that the electorate’s right to freely choose their representatives cannot be subverted by procedural disputes.
The court’s decision aligns with the Electoral Commission’s earlier ruling that found no merit in Bwowe’s complaints and upheld the nominations of all aspirants. The EC noted that the minor discrepancy in the constituency name had been corrected and that all candidates’ intentions to contest in the correct electoral area were clearly documented. The decision confirms that clerical short-form references to “Nakawa West” do not invalidate valid nominations under electoral law.
The petition involved several candidates, including incumbent MP and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Besekezi Ssenyonyi, as well as Happy Nasasira, Herbert Anderson Burora, Felix Ephraim Okuye, Vincent Norbert Okumu, Wilberforce Kyambadde, and Rwamiti Apuuli, all of whom remain validly nominated for the Nakawa Division West parliamentary seat. Ssenyonyi had previously clarified that the use of “Nakawa West” was a clerical shorthand that did not change his intention to contest in the correct constituency.
With the High Court and Electoral Commission rulings upholding the nominations, all candidates are now cleared to campaign ahead of the January 15, 2026 general elections in one of Kampala’s most closely watched parliamentary contests. The ruling underscores the judiciary’s commitment to protecting voters’ rights and ensuring that minor technical errors do not obstruct fair electoral competition.
Email:homelandnewspaper@gmail.com
