By KT Reporter
Bukimbiri County parliamentary hopeful James Owebeyi Mugyemano has petitioned the Electoral Commission, challenging the qualifications of his rivals, Asgario Turyagyenda and incumbent MP Eddie Kwizera Wagahungu.
Kwizera, who lost the NRM flag to Turyagyenda, is contesting as an Independent in the 2026 parliamentary race, while Owebbeyi is contesting as a candidate of the Forum for Democratic Change.
According to Owebeyi’s petition, which was received by the Electoral Commission on November 14, 2025, he only discovered after his own nomination on October 23 that both Kwizera and Turyagyenda had allegedly been cleared using questionable credentials.
Acting on this, he wrote to the Kisoro District Returning Officer on October 30, requesting to inspect their academic documents. Owebeyi says he was granted access on November 6 by Returning Officer Dan Nayebare, though he was not permitted to photocopy the documents. Upon inspection, he claims, he found glaring inconsistencies.
He argues that Kwizera submitted no valid UCE or UACE certificates in the name under which he was nominated. The petition states that the UCE certificate bears the name Kwizera Eddie, while the UACE certificate and the Bachelor of Business Administration transcript bear the name Kwizera Edward Julius. Yet, the candidate was nominated as Eddie Kwizera Wagahungu, a combination Owebeyi says does not appear on any of the documents presented.
He further contends that Turyagyenda did not submit a UACE certificate at all, yet was nominated and cleared. Owebeyi is now asking the Electoral Commission to nullify the nomination of both candidates, arguing that they do not meet the legal academic requirements for parliamentary aspirants.
When contacted, the Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said the Commission does not adjudicate individual complaints through the media, emphasising that lodging petitions is an expected part of the electoral process. Both Kwizera and Turyagyenda have dismissed Owebeyi’s allegations as baseless, accusing him of panicking after realising he lacks substantial grassroots support.
This is not the first time Owebeyi has challenged Kwizera’s eligibility. In March 2021, he successfully petitioned the High Court to nullify Kwizera’s victory after it emerged that although the photographs and party symbols on the ballot papers were correct, the names printed were of entirely different individuals: Arthur Kazoora Atuzarirwe (NRM), Didas Byaruhanga Kagyinda (FDC), Victor Atwiine, and Donzio Kahonda Mugabe as Independents.
Although the court annulled the election, Kwizera later contested in the by-election and reclaimed the seat.
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