A candidate for Uganda’s Mawogola North Constituency parliamentary seat has written to the country’s Electoral Commission (EC), requesting for the certified copies of all academic documents submitted by Godfrey Aine Kaguta, a younger brother to President Yoweri Museveni.
Also known as Sodo, Aine, was officially nominated as the NRM flag bearer for Mawogola North on October 22, while lawyer Jet John Ndamagi Tumwebaze was nominated for the same constituency on October 23.
Tumwebaze wrote to Acting EC Secretary Richard Kamugisha on October 27, requesting certified copies of the credentials Aine submitted to the commission for his nomination.
“I would like to satisfy myself that the said Mr Aine is qualified to be a Member of Parliament in accordance with Article 80(1) (c) and 30(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, and Sections 4(1) (c) and 30(c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act Cap 177 (Revised Laws of Uganda).”
“In accordance with Article 41 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and Sections 4, 5 and 10 of the Access to Information Act Cap 95 Revised Laws of Uganda, I hereby request for certified copies of all academic documents submitted by the said Mr Aine to the EC,” Tumwebaze’s letter reads in part.
In a recent interview Tumwebaze, a partner at Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA), told The Monitor that he had entered into the Sembabule District race to “stop the possibility of Mawogola North being represented by the most unqualified person in history.”
“We are talking about a person who can’t read and write. So, how can that person represent our people? How will that person participate in the law-making process?” Tumwebaze asked.
In a separate interview, Aine said “being nominated was enough to prove that he has the required academic papers.”
EC Spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi, Monday evening told Monitor that such requests are not unusual and are provided for under electoral laws.
“During or after nominations, any registered voter can request to inspect the files that will have been submitted during the nomination exercise,” Mucunguzi said.
He added: “It says any registered voter for that particular constituency, or anybody on the voters’ roll can make a formal request to the EC. This should not amount to something out of the ordinary or special.”
Asked if the EC has honoured Tumwebaze’s request, or whether the said Aine has the requisite academic qualifications to be an MP, Mucunguzi emphasized that there is no law that compels the EC to publicise details of someone’s nomination files.
“When the Commission gets back to him, it will not announce it in the media, because the correspondence is directed to the chairperson, not to the media,” he said.
Aine did not immediately respond on the matter.
In June, Aine announced his bid for the Mawogola North parliamentary seat in the 2026 General Election, a contest he controversially avoided in 2021.
He said his June decision followed “extensive consultations with President Museveni and senior NRM leaders” and was driven by the “poor service delivery in our constituency.”
In 2021, Aine was widely regarded as a front-runner for the Mawogola North seat but withdrew shortly before the General Election, clearing the way for Shartsi Mushurure Nayebale Kutesa, daughter of former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, to win.
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