The Electoral Commission (EC) Thursday declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Idah Nabayiga the winner of the Kalangala District Woman Member of Parliament by-election, amidst sharp protests from the leading opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), which has rejected the outcome citing gross electoral malpractice.
According to results announced at 1:53am on June 25, 2026 by the Kalangala District Returning Officer, Mr Agaba Ronald, Nabayiga polled 12,642 votes to secure the parliamentary seat. Her closest rival, Irene Nampala of the NUP, came second with 7,474 votes, representing a victory margin of over 5,000 votes for the ruling party.
Independent candidates Sharifah Babirye, Flavia Hellen Nagawa, and Agnes Nasuuna garnered 244, 217, and 34 votes, respectively. Out of the 21,038 total ballot papers counted, 20,611 were valid, 427 were rejected, and 67 were spoilt.
“In accordance with Section 72 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap. 177, I declare Idah Nabayiga, who has obtained the largest number of votes, to be the elected candidate,” Mr. Agaba announced.
The election, triggered by the death of the former lawmaker Helen Nakimuli, has been heavily overshadowed by accusations of state-engineered rigging. NUP officials immediately rejected the results, alleging that the military and other state security apparatuses took over several polling stations to tilt the vote in the NRM’s favor.
Throughout the voting process on Wednesday, June 24, and into Thursday, June 25, the opposition party utilized social media to share videos and photos purposed to show blatant ballot stuffing by security operatives and NRM mobilizers.
In a detailed statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), NUP claimed that their polling agents were violently forced away from voting centers to allow individuals to thumbprint entire booklets containing 50 ballot papers each.
“The broad daylight ballot stuffing as captured by vigilant citizens… Soldiers, goons, and even other security operatives were seen stuffing pre-ticked ballot papers in favor of the NRM candidate,” the NUP statement read in part.
The party highlighted specific discrepancies, pointing to a polling station where the NRM allegedly obtained 78 votes written in words, but recorded 125 in figures on the official forms. NUP further accused polling officials of directly indulging in altering results contrary to what was tallied on the ground.
Reacting to the development, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, questioned the circumstances surrounding the by-election, drawing parallels to past controversial polls.
‘Looking at what the regime did in Kalangala yesterday, would anyone be wrong to assume that they killed Hon. Nakimuli to forcefully take over that District, the same way they killed Ffeffeka to take over Kayunga?’ Kyagulanyi posted on X on June 25.
Meanwhile, senior NUP leaders, including Deputy Secretary General Aisha Kabanda, Gorreth Namugga, and Habib Buwembo, revealed that the election was marred by targeted arrests. They stated that many of their supporters and polling agents remain in state detention, and efforts are currently underway to secure their release.
Conceding no defeat, the NUP candidate, Irene Nampala, maintained that she won the mandate of the islanders. She thanked the people of Kalangala for their resilience and noted that she is awaiting the party’s official declaration on the next course of legal or political action, expected tomorrow.
By press time, both the Electoral Commission and the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) had not yet responded to the video evidence and rigging allegations presented by the opposition.
However, Justice Simon Byabakama, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, criticized the Police for failing to enforce a directive he had recently issued barring vehicles without number plates from participating in election-related activities.
Justice Byabakama stated that he had instructed that all such vehicles be impounded, but was surprised that, despite his orders, the police did not comply, as many vehicles without number plates were still seen operating during the election. He reminded the police of the importance of upholding and enforcing the law.
The EC chief also appealed to the people of Kalangala to continue maintaining the peace they have enjoyed and to avoid causing violence.