By KT Reporter
National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer Denis Mike Onyum has finally been nominated for the Kioga County parliamentary contest, a full month after the Electoral Commission (EC) closed the official nomination window.
The EC conducted nominations for parliamentary candidates on October 22 and 23, 2025, during which four aspirants were cleared. Onyum was left out after inconsistencies were detected in his academic documents, prompting the EC to advise him to seek further guidance from its headquarters in Kampala.
On Thursday, November 27, the EC officially nominated Onyum after resolving a petition he filed challenging the earlier rejection. Speaking to the media moments after his nomination, Onyum said the Commission cleared him once verification of his academic papers was completed.
Onyum explained that the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) had confirmed the authenticity of his academic documents, and the EC took additional time to conduct its own verification process.
“I went to UNEB, and they confirmed that my documents had no errors. I took that information back to the Electoral Commission, but they asked for time to verify everything with UNEB. They completed the process early this week and informed me to come for nomination today,” he said.
With two of his rivals currently battling court cases over academic qualifications, Onyum urged voters to be cautious and elect leaders whose integrity is unquestionable.
Amolatar District Returning Officer Irene Hope Nakiru asked Onyum to submit his campaign programme for harmonisation with the other candidates, noting that he is not disadvantaged, as campaigns have not yet formally started for most contenders.
Onyum now joins five other candidates already cleared for the Kioga County seat: incumbent Moses Junior Okot Bitek (FDC), independents Carlos Opul and Col. Dr John Francis Ongia, NRM’s Felix Adupa Ongwech and UPC’s Collins Angwech.
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