This came after Faridah Nambi Kigongo, a member of the ruling NRM party, went to court to challenge his victory.
Nambi said that the Electoral Commission did not count votes from 15 polling stations. She also said that security officers entered some polling stations while votes were being counted and destroyed voting materials. This, she argued, affected the final results.
The by-election was held on 13th March 2025 after the death of the former MP Muhammed Ssegirinya, also known as Mr. Update. He died after being sick for a long time. The by-election was not peaceful. There was a lot of violence, and the army was heavily involved.
After the vote, Nalukoola was declared the winner with about 17,000 votes. Nambi came second with around 9,000 votes. There were eight other candidates, but they got very few votes.
Among them was Muhammed Luwemba Luswa, who used to work for the late Ssegirinya. He got less than 300 votes. Musician Aga Naga got about 200 votes, and comic politician Moses Nsereko finished last with only 32 votes.
Nambi was not happy with the results and took the matter to court. She claimed the election was not free or fair and asked the court to cancel Nalukoola’s victory.
Justice Benard Namanya listened to the case and later gave his judgment via email. He said the election was not conducted properly and ruled that Nalukoola was not the validly elected MP. He cancelled the results and declared the Kawempe North seat vacant.
The judge also told the Electoral Commission to organize a new election as soon as possible so the people of Kawempe North can choose a new MP.
As it stands now, unless Nalukoola appeals the court’s decision, his time in Parliament will end after serving only about two months. If he decides to appeal, it may take a long time before the case is completed. Courts in Uganda are known to take time, so he might even serve for much longer while waiting for the final decision.
The Kawempe North by-election attracted a lot of attention. It was expected to be a tough contest because the late Ssegirinya was a popular figure. Many people were watching to see who would replace him. However, the violence, army involvement, and problems during vote counting raised many questions.
This court decision now opens the way for another by-election. It is not yet clear if all the same candidates will contest again, or if new ones will join the race. What is clear is that the people of Kawempe North will go back to the polls soon.
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