Ssekikubo loses appeal against Rwashande in Lwemiyaga MP race contest: This is what High Court’s Justice Joyce Kavuma said
Ssekikubo had sought court orders to regularise and validate his appeal against the Electoral Commission’s decision to uphold Rwashande’s nomination.
The High Court has struck out an election appeal filed by Lwemiyaga Member of Parliament Theodore Ssekikubo, in which he challenged the nomination of NRM candidate Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Rwashande for the 2026 parliamentary elections.
Court ruled that the appeal was filed outside the legally prescribed timeframe and could not be validated. Ssekikubo had sought court orders to regularise and validate his appeal against the Electoral Commission’s decision to uphold Rwashande’s nomination.
The dispute stems from the nomination process for Lwemiyaga Constituency in Sembabule District ahead of the January 15, 2026 general elections. Ssekikubo had challenged Rwashande’s nomination, citing alleged irregularities including failure to submit required academic qualifications and an insufficient number of supporter signatures.
However, the Electoral Commission dismissed the complaint on December 3, 2025. Although Ssekikubo later appealed to the High Court, he did so beyond the mandatory five-day period stipulated under the Parliamentary Elections (Interim Provisions) Rules.
In a subsequent application, Ssekikubo asked court to validate the late appeal, arguing that he only became aware of the Electoral Commission’s ruling several days later due to delays in communication.
In her ruling, Justice Joyce Kavuma emphasized that election disputes are governed by strict and mandatory timelines, which courts cannot extend unless expressly permitted by law.
The judge found that the Electoral Commission had duly served Ssekikubo’s lawyers with the ruling on December 3, 2025, meaning the statutory time began to run from that date.
She faulted Ssekikubo for failing to demonstrate the level of vigilance expected of an intending appellant in an electoral dispute, even in the absence of documentary proof of follow-ups.
The court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to validate or extend time for an appeal filed outside the statutory limit. Consequently, the appeal was struck out and the application dismissed.
The ruling comes with just nine days remaining before Uganda’s general elections on January 15, 2026, effectively clearing the way for Brig. Gen. Rwashande’s candidacy.
