High Court sets date to deliver Walukaga Election Petition ruling

The High Court has scheduled December 22 for delivery of its judgment in an election petition filed by Busiro East parliamentary aspirant Mathias Walukaga, who is challenging his disqualification by the Electoral Commission (EC) over alleged failure to meet academic qualification requirements.

Justice Simon Peter Kinobe fixed the date on Tuesday after Walukaga appeared in court with his lawyers, Alex Luganda and Elias Nalukoola, for hearing of the matter. The respondents—the Electoral Commission and a registered voter, John Lubowa Kilimiro—had not filed their responses by the time the case came up.

As a result, Justice Kinobe issued strict timelines directing all parties to file their submissions between December 17 and December 19, indicating that the ruling would be delivered electronically once the schedules are complied with.

“If you comply with the timelines given, the judgment will be delivered on Monday through the Electronic Court Case Management Information System,” Justice Kinobe ruled.

Walukaga, a member of the National Unity Platform (NUP), petitioned the High Court last week after expressing dissatisfaction with the EC’s decision to nullify his nomination. In his petition, he states that he duly submitted his nomination papers to contest for the Busiro East parliamentary seat in Wakiso District and was successfully nominated on October 23, 2025.

However, on November 25, 2025, the Electoral Commission overturned his nomination following a complaint by Kilimiro, who argued that Walukaga did not meet the minimum academic qualifications required for a Member of Parliament. The Commission ruled that Walukaga had presented an expired Mature Age certificate at the time of nomination.

According to the EC, the certificate—issued on June 12, 2023—had an expiry date of June 12, 2025, and had therefore lapsed by the October 23 nomination date.

Walukaga disputes this finding, insisting that his academic credentials were valid. He argues that the Mature Age certificate issued by the Islamic University in Uganda was equated by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) to the minimum formal education of Advanced Level standard.

He further maintains that a Mature Age certificate only expires after two years if it is not used to enroll for further studies. Walukaga says he enrolled at St. Lawrence University in August 2023—within the validity period—and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration.

Describing the EC’s decision as “unjust, unfair and illegal,” Walukaga is asking the High Court to quash the Commission’s ruling and reinstate his nomination.

The court’s decision, expected on December 22, comes just weeks before polling day scheduled for January 15, 2026, and is likely to have significant implications for the Busiro East parliamentary race.