By KIBAALE; The Electoral Commission has disqualified the nomination of Ategeka Christopher as a candidate for Member of Parliament for Buyanja County in Kibaale District, citing serious irregularities in his nomination process.
In a decision dated December 4, 2025, the Commission said it found Ategeka in breach of Section 28(1)(c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act after investigations into a complaint challenging his nomination. The complaint was lodged under Article 61(1)(f) of the Constitution and Section 15 of the Electoral Commission Act.
According to the Commission, Ategeka was nominated on October 23, 2025. However, during verification of the supporters’ names and signatures on his nomination papers, three listed supporters were found not to be registered voters in Buyanja County. The Commission established that the names originally submitted were later altered.
The Commission observed that the candidate replaced the initial names with those of Nkuna David, Byamukama Joseph and Kiirabo Vicent. While Ategeka admitted to substituting the names after being advised by the Returning Officer, he maintained that the listed supporters had signed the nomination forms.
However, the Commission was not persuaded by this explanation. It noted that the names, villages and National Identification Numbers on the nomination paper appeared to have been whitewashed, while the signatures remained unchanged. This, the Commission said, implied that the signatures belonged to the original supporters and not to the substituted names.
“The Commission was not satisfied with the contention that the substituted supporters actually appended their signatures on the nomination paper,” the decision reads, adding that there was no evidence that the original signatures had been removed or replaced.
Following these findings, the Commission ruled that Ategeka had failed to comply with the law governing nomination of parliamentary candidates. His nomination was consequently declared void under Section 30(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, effectively disqualifying him from the race.
