The High Court in Kampala has dismissed a pre-election petition filed by Ivan Bwowe seeking to nullify the nomination of candidates for the Nakawa West parliamentary seat, including incumbent MP Joel Ssenyonyi.
In a judgment delivered on January 8, 2026, Justice Collins Acellam upheld the Electoral Commission’s decision to nominate the candidates, ruling that the issues raised by Bwowe were based on minor clerical errors that did not affect the substance of the nomination process.
Bwowe had argued that Ssenyonyi and seven other candidates were wrongly nominated because their nomination forms referred to the constituency as “Nakawa West” instead of “Nakawa Division West,” which he claimed is the official name. He contended that this discrepancy rendered their nominations invalid.
However, the court found that “Nakawa West” and “Nakawa Division West” refer to the same constituency and are commonly used interchangeably. Justice Acellam noted that even Bwowe himself appeared on Electoral Commission documents as a duly nominated candidate for “Nakawa West,” a constituency he claimed did not exist.
The judge ruled that the error was purely clerical, had been corrected by the Electoral Commission, and caused no confusion or prejudice to any of the candidates. He emphasized that courts should prioritize substantive justice over technicalities, warning that allowing the petition would unfairly deny voters their constitutional right to choose their representative.
“The petitioner’s attempt was an audacious effort to sneak into Parliament without the mandate of the electorate,” Justice Acellam ruled.
The court consequently dismissed the petition, upheld the Electoral Commission’s decision, and ordered each party to bear its own costs.
The ruling clears the way for Joel Ssenyonyi and the other candidates to remain on the ballot in the Nakawa West parliamentary race.
