Kawempe North MP-elect, Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, is set to be sworn in tomorrow following his official gazettement by the Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday. Speaker of Parliament Anita Among confirmed the development, stating that she had received the necessary communication from the EC and would preside over the swearing-in ceremony in her chambers at noon.
“I have received official communication from the Electoral Commission along with a copy of the gazetted results. I will proceed to swear in the Member of Parliament-elect for Kawempe North in my chambers tomorrow at noon. I would like to congratulate Elias Nalukoola Luyimbazi on his victory,” Ms. Among posted on her X handle.
The EC’s publication, released last evening, officially confirmed Nalukoola as the winner of the Kawempe North by-election.
“Notice is hereby given by the Electoral Commission that the result for the Parliamentary by-election for the directly elected Member to Parliament, Kawempe Division North, Kampala Capital City in the Schedule to this Notice is hereby published, in accordance with Section 78(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap. 177,” the gazette read in part.
Despite the confirmation, discrepancies in the final vote count have raised concerns.
The gazette shows that NRM’s Faridah Nambi secured 9,058 votes, an increase from the 8,593 votes initially announced by the EC returning officer on March 14. Likewise, Nalukoola’s votes increased by 175 ballots from the original tally.
NUP Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya expressed skepticism over these inconsistencies and stated that the party would seek clarification from the EC.
“We shall soon seek an explanation from the Electoral Commission why the results in the original tally sheet are different from the ones in the gazette. We can only hope that all these machinations are not intended to create a case for the losing NRM candidate where there is none! Thanks to all who raised voices and put pressure,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, welcomed the gazettement and emphasized the importance of Nalukoola’s swearing-in.
“The pressure from all corners has paid off. We’re now awaiting the swearing-in of our colleague so he can serve Kawempe North and Uganda at large,” he stated.
The delay in Nalukoola’s gazettement had sparked controversy, with NUP officials accusing the EC of stalling.
Yesterday, a team led by Rubongoya visited the EC offices to demand an explanation, highlighting a contrast between the handling of this by-election and previous ones involving ruling party candidates.
Nalukoola himself asserted that the delay was a deliberate attempt to challenge his victory, a concern echoed by political commentator Augustine Ruzindana.
“Any delay in gazetting the newly elected MP undermines the credibility of the EC and also makes the challenge of the results difficult if not impossible. EC, please fulfill your mandate without unnecessary prevarication,” Ruzindana commented.
According to Section 59 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005, the EC is required to declare and publish election results within 48 hours after polling. While this timeline was not met in Nalukoola’s case, his swearing-in tomorrow marks the final step in his official assumption of office.
