The Electoral Commission has disqualified popular young politician Kakwanzi Elizabeth Acene , as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag-bearer for the Western Region Youth Representative to Parliament, due to forgery of her nomination papers.
In a communication ,(Ref: LEG 75/79/01) and signed by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, the Commission announced that Kakwanzi’s nomination was void ab initio after sustaining a complaint lodged under Section 15 of the Electoral Commission Act, Cap 176.
The complaint, filed by a petitioner(s) whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, alleged serious irregularities in Kakwanzi’s nomination papers. After hearings conducted on 18th and 23rd November 2025 and a thorough probe into the EC’s National Voter Register, the Commission established three critical findings:
1. Two of Kakwanzi’s nominated supporters – Niwagaba Believe and Owenyesigye Aloysious – were found to share the exact same National Identification Number (NIN) CM01055109RE9C despite being listed as separate individuals. A second NIN (CM96009109K5ZA) also appeared against one of the names, confirming duplication.
2. Rujumba Jasin, one of the required supporters, had his signature conspicuously missing from the nomination papers despite his name and NIN appearing on the list. Curiously, Rujumba’s genuine signature on his National ID card shows the occupation “Farmer”, yet the disputed nomination paper listed him without any signature in the relevant column.
3. Physical examination of the submitted supporters’ list revealed visible alterations, whitener corrections and substituted names without counter-signatures – clear evidence of tampering.
While the Commission noted that the duplicated NIN issue appeared to be “an error and not fatal”, it ruled that the absence of Rujumba Jasin’s signature and the blatant alterations violated Sections 28(1)(c) and 30(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap 177 which demand accurate and authentic nomination documents.
The decision (MIN.COMP/058/2025) was copied to Kakwanzi through her lawyers, M/s Spatium Advocates, and Ambrose Tebyasa & Co. Advocates.
Kakwanzi Elizabeth lost the head to head NRM primaries in western Uganda although she was widely seen as a strong contender for the Youth MP seat.
