Hon. Luyimbazi Elias Nalukoola has filed a notice of appeal challenging a High Court ruling that nullified his election as the Member of Parliament for Kawempe Division North and ordered a fresh vote.
According to a document received by the Court of Appeal Registry on Monday, May 26, Nalukoola, through his legal team at PACE Advocates, signaled his intention to contest the decision delivered by Justice Bernard Namanya of the High Court’s Civil Division. The ruling had set aside Nalukoola’s victory on grounds of voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.
“Take notice that the Appellant, Luyimbazi Elias Nalukoola, is dissatisfied with the judgment of Hon. Justice Bernard Namanya from the High Court of Uganda, Civil Division, on the 26th day of May 2025, [and] intends to appeal to the Court of Appeal of Uganda,” the notice reads.
The High Court found that over 16,000 voters in the constituency were denied the right to vote and that Nalukoola personally campaigned on polling day at designated voting locations, violating provisions of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
As part of the ruling, the court declared the Kawempe North seat vacant and instructed the Electoral Commission to organize a fresh election. Nalukoola’s appeal now pauses that process pending the outcome of proceedings in the Court of Appeal.
The address of service for the appellant includes a consortium of law firms led by Nyanzi, Kiboneka & Mbabazi Advocates and PACE Advocates, with the notice drawn and filed by the latter.
Background
The nullified by-election had been conducted following the earlier court annulment of MP Muhammad Ssegirinya’s 2021 election. The March 2025 rerun, which saw Nalukoola declared the winner, was widely contested by the National Resistance Movement’s candidate, Hon. Nambi Faridah Kigongo, who filed the successful petition.
Political observers now say the battle for Kawempe North has become a legal and electoral flashpoint, highlighting the deepening electoral tensions in Kampala’s urban constituencies. The Court of Appeal is expected to set a hearing date in the coming weeks.
