The Electoral Commission has revoked the nomination of National Unity Platform flag bearer Mathias Walukaga for the Busiro East parliamentary seat, citing his failure to present the requisite minimum formal qualifications due to an expired academic document.
Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said Mr. Walukaga, who is the incumbent Kyengera Town Council Mayor, lacked the necessary qualifications for the elective office of Member of Parliament because the Certificate of Mature Age/Aptitude Test he presented had already passed its expiration date.
“Accordingly, candidate Walukaga Mathias lacked the requisite minimum formal qualifications for the elective office of Member of Parliament as stipulated under Section 4 (1) (C) of the parliamentary Elections Act, Cap 177,” Justice Byabakama wrote in a letter, which was copied to the returning officer of Wakiso Electoral District. “Candidate Walukaga therefore stands denominated.”
The Electoral Commission’s decision, which came in a November 25, 2025 letter addressed to the petitioner’s lawyers, M/S Signature Advocates, followed a November 4 complaint. The unnamed petitioner accused Mr. Walukaga of not possessing the minimum academic qualifications for nomination, specifically contending that his Certificate of Mature Age/Aptitude Test had expired by the time he used it for nomination on October 23.
Mr. Walukaga was nominated on the NUP ticket to replace incumbent Medard Ssegona, a veteran lawyer who has represented the constituency since 2011. Mr. Ssegona is seeking to retain the seat as an Independent candidate.
Grounds for Disqualification
Mr. Walukaga and his lawyers argued that since he was admitted to a university and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration based on the certificate, the document was still valid for nomination purposes.
However, after meetings held on November 7, 10, 14, and 15, the commission observed that the Certificate of Mature Age/Aptitude Test, which was awarded by the Islamic University in Uganda on June 12, 2023, and presented for nomination on October 23, 2025, specifically stated its expiration date as June 12, 2025.
Justice Byabakama noted that even a letter tendered by Mr. Walukaga’s counsel from the Islamic University in Uganda, dated November 11, 2025, which certified that he had scored 54% on the Mature Age Aptitude Test, stated that the certificate has a life span of two years.
The commission’s observation aligns with Paragraph 9 (b) of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions (Benchmarks for Verifying, Determining and Recognizing Academic Qualifications as a Person Holding a Minimum Qualification of Advanced Level or its Equivalent) Legal Notice No.12 of 2015. This provision states that a Certificate awarded to a person who passes the mature age entry examinations with at least 50% “shall be valid for two years from the date of award.”
Furthermore, the commission cited the Supreme Court decision in the case of Gole Nicholas Davis vs. Loi Kiryapawo, Election Petition Appeal No. 19 of 2007, observing that a Certificate of the National Council for Higher Education is not a qualification by itself and cannot validate an invalid or expired qualification.
“In light of the above observations, the Commission, under MIN.COMP/048/2025, found that the Certificate of Mature Age/Aptitude Test Walukaga presented for nomination had by October 23, 2025, clearly expired,” Justice Byabakama added.
