By KT Reporter
Budiope East County MP, Moses Magogo, could join the list of unopposed candidates to the 12th Parliament, if petitions filed against his challengers are upheld by the Electoral Commission Tribunal.
Four voters, Humaru Waiswa, Mandella Jackson, Ibrahim Yeeko, and Ayubu Baliise, represented by Alaka & Company Advocates, have lodged complaints challenging the eligibility of four of Magogo’s rivals: Stephen Bagalana, Resty Nsiro, Daniel Mulire, and Robinson Peere.
According to the petition filed by Waiswa, National Resistance Movement (NRM)-leaning candidate Stephen Bagalana failed to raise the minimum number of required nominators as mandated under Section 10(1)(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act (PEA), which requires independent parliamentary aspirants to present at least 10 registered voters from their constituency as seconders.
In a separate complaint, Mandella Jackson accuses independent candidate Resty Nsiro of forging the signatures of 10 nominators. EC officials said the alleged victims appeared before the Tribunal and denied ever endorsing Nsiro’s candidature. Despite being summoned on 17 and 20 November 2025, Nsiro had not appeared before the Tribunal by press time.
Another petition concerns Daniel Mulire, an NRM member who contested against Magogo in the party primaries.
Yeeko, the petitioner, alleges that Mulire is a serving police officer who did not resign at least six months before nomination, contrary to Article 80(4) of the Constitution and Section 4(5) of the Parliamentary Election Act, which bars public officers from participating in active politics without first vacating their positions. Mulire was summoned to appear before the EC Tribunal on Friday to defend himself.
Petitioner Ayubu Baliise accused another aspirant, Robinson Peere (Independent), of irregularities relating to his nomination. EC sources indicated that Peere appeared before the Tribunal and later withdrew from the race, reducing the number of contenders.
Magogo, who is also President of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) and a member of the CAF Executive, won the NRM primary with 63,758 votes, beating his closest rival, Geofrey Dhamuzungu, who polled 15,177 votes. Mulire scored 212 votes.
He previously served the 2021–2026 term and was re-elected unopposed for the 2025–2029 NRM ticket on 5 July 2025.
His personal assistant, Hassan Kirunda, told URN that the MP’s camp anticipates a clean victory, noting that some petitioned candidates have failed to appear while others have voluntarily stepped down. “We are confident that Eng. Magogo will be declared unopposed,” Kirunda said.
The Commission’s Tribunal, chaired by Justice Simon Byabakama, is currently handling over 100 petitions relating to presidential, parliamentary, and local government nominations ahead of the 2026 general elections.
EC Deputy Spokesperson, Paul Bukenya, said more complaints are still being filed and assured the public that all petitions will be adjudicated fairly and in accordance with the law.
So far, ten candidates have been declared unopposed. They await being sworn as members of the 12th Parliament. They include Anita Among, the Bukedea Woman MP; Thomas Tayebwa, the Ruhinda North legislator; Ofwono Opondo, representing Older Persons; Lillian Paparu, the Arua Woman MP; Catherine Akumu Mavenjina, also representing Older Persons; Ruth Rujoki, the Kiruhura Woman MP; and Emely Kugonza, the Buyanja East MP.
Others who have also sailed through unopposed are Peggy Joy Waako, the National Female Representative for Older Persons; Jeniva Nalongo Arianaitwe, the Rubirizi Woman MP; Banya Emmanuel Natal, the Koboko County MP; Boniface Okot, the Northern Region Youth MP; and Laura Kanushu Opori, the National Representative for Persons with Disabilities.
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