By Johnson Kanyesige
The Electoral Commission has disqualified Daniel Mulirire from contesting the Budiope East Constituency parliamentary seat in Buyende District. Mulirire, an NRM-leaning independent candidate, had been widely regarded as the strongest rival to Engineer Moses Hashim Magogo, the NRM flag bearer and husband of Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
In a December 23, 2025 decision, the Commission annulled Mulirire’s nomination after upholding a complaint lodged by Ibrahim Yeko under Article 61(1)(f) of the Constitution and Section 15 of the Electoral Commission Act. The complaint was filed through Alaka and Company Advocates, widely known as Among’s lawyers, suggesting Yeko could have acted as Magogo’s agent.
The ruling, signed by Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, overturned the earlier decision of the Returning Officer for Buyende District, who had cleared Mulirire to stand for election. According to the Commission, Mulirire, a former Uganda Police Force officer, failed to provide proof of resignation from government service at the time of his nomination, contrary to Section 4(4)(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
The omission, the Commission said, rendered his nomination papers void under Section 30(e) of the same law. Acting under Minute COMP 058/2025, the Commission formally annulled his nomination and quashed the Returning Officer’s decision. The decision followed a hearing held on November 18, 2025, during which the Commission considered submissions from both the complainant and Mulirire, alongside their legal representatives. Copies of the ruling were issued to the Returning Officer and to Mulirire through his advocates.
Mulirire’s lawyers have disputed the disqualification. Jude Byamukama of JByamukama Advocates argued that Section 4(4) of the Parliamentary Elections Act only requires that a public officer resign at least 90 days before nomination, and does not explicitly require proof of resignation to accompany nomination papers. He said Mulirire had ceased to be a police officer well before the nomination period.
“The funniest thing is that Section 4(4) of the PEA merely provides that a public officer who wishes to contest must resign 90 days before nomination. The man left police three years before nomination. EC then creates a new legal requirement that proof of retirement or resignation must be attached to the nomination paper. If it was the law, then almost every former civil servant would be disqualified,” Byamukama told Uganda Radio Network.
Documents from the Uganda Police Force indicate that Mulirire’s resignation was approved by the Police Council with effect from April 15, 2024. A letter signed on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, through the District Police Commander in Naggalama, confirmed that Mulirire’s application was approved and instructed him to hand over all government property. The letter also noted that a pensionable officer who resigns relinquishes all rights and privileges attached to the post.
Despite this, the Electoral Commission maintained that the failure to furnish proof of resignation at the time of nomination rendered Mulirire’s papers invalid. The disqualification comes a day after the Commission concluded printing ballot papers ahead of the January 15, 2026, polls. Other opponents of Magogo, who is also the FUFA President, had previously been disqualified for different reasons.
