Nalukoola delayed gazette Sparks Outcry, Swearing-In Blocked
KAMPALA. Ugandan lawmakers have condemned the Electoral Commission (EC) for withholding the official gazettement of Luyimbazi Elias Nalukoola, the National Unity Platform (NUP) victor of the Kawempe North by-election, delaying his parliamentary swearing-in.
During a Thursday plenary session chaired by Speaker Anita Among, Kira MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda highlighted the inconsistency, contrasting Nalukoola’s unresolved status with Igara East MP Michael Mawanda’s swift inauguration within 24 hours of his win.
Speaker Among clarified procedural constraints, stating Parliament cannot swear in members without the EC’s gazette, a document she emphasized was still pending.
Opposition Leader Joel Ssenyonyi rebuked the EC’s delay as unprecedented, revealing the Commission cited “internal issues” as justification despite prior elections adhering to prompt timelines.
He accused the EC of abandoning its mandate post-results declaration and demanded transparency from the government, which oversees the body.
The debate expanded to address state violence during the by-election, with Ssenyonyi condemning assaults on Nalukoola, opposition figures, and journalists, as well as the abduction of NUP coordinator Bright Muhumuza.
He lambasted ministers for insinuating the opposition staged the violence and criticized the government’s failure to hold security forces accountable.
Ssemujju echoed concerns, announcing a motion against media suppression and slamming militarized polling stations as unconstitutional, comparing the deployment to Uganda’s wartime LRA conflict.
Acting Government Leader David Bahati offered limited assurances, referencing President Museveni’s statement on Kawempe and pledging medical support for an injured journalist—a response dismissed by MP Theodore Ssekikubo, who stressed constitutional supremacy over executive remarks.
Ssekikubo urged Parliament to formally censure the EC’s conduct, insisting Kawempe North’s representation rights remain paramount.
Speaker Among directed the Attorney General to expedite the gazette, asserting her commitment to seating Nalukoola, but the session underscored systemic tensions.
Opposition MPs framed the EC’s delay and state violence as emblematic of broader democratic backsliding under Museveni’s administration, accusing institutions of bias toward the ruling NRM. The NUP, a key opposition force, continues to face crackdowns, with critics alleging the EC’s opacity and security forces’ impunity erode electoral integrity.
Amid calls for accountability, the standoff highlights Uganda’s fraught political landscape, where procedural delays and repression increasingly define electoral contests.
