The Electoral Commission (EC) has disqualified musician-turned-politician Mathias Walukaga from contesting in the 2026 parliamentary elections for Busiro East Constituency in Wakiso district.
In a decision dated November 25 2025, the EC found that Walukaga, who currently serves as the mayor of Kyengera town council, did not meet the minimum formal academic qualifications required under the Parliamentary Elections Act.
The decision followed a petition filed by M/S Signature Advocates, which challenged the validity of Walukaga’s mature age/aptitude test certificate that he submitted during his nomination on October 23, 2025.
According to the EC, the certificate, issued by the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) on June 12, 2023, had expired by the time of nomination. The EC noted that the document carried a two-year validity period and had not been used to enrol for further studies within that timeframe.
“A certificate of equivalence from the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) cannot validate an already expired qualification,” the EC ruled, citing the Supreme court precedent in the Gole Nicholas Davis vs Loi Kiryapawo case.
Walukaga’s legal team argued that the qualification was valid on the basis that he had gained admission and was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration at St. Lawrence University.
However, the EC rejected this argument, maintaining that he “lacked the minimum formal qualifications required for nomination.” The nomination dispute had already sparked political tension in Busiro East after the incumbent member of parliament, Medard Lubega Ssegona, was denied the National Unity Platform (NUP) party flag in favour of Walukaga.
Ssegona was subsequently nominated as an independent candidate.
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