Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, Anita Among is once again facing accusations of political manipulation, after a legal petition was filed seeking to block three women from contesting against her for the Bukedea Woman MP seat in the upcoming 2026 elections.
The High Court in Kampala is set to hear a case filed by Akol Zippora, who claims that the trio Alupo Mercy Marion of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Norma Susan Otai, and Akol Hellen Odeke are not registered voters in Bukedea District, and therefore ineligible for nomination.
Court documents reveal that so-called “parish tribunals” in Malera, Kopeta, and Kotolut parishes allegedly removed the women from the voters’ register in May 2025. The petitioner is now asking the court to bar the Electoral Commission (EC) from clearing them for nomination in the January 2026 polls.
If the petition succeeds, it would leave Anita Among without an opponent mirroring the controversial 2021 election in which she ran unopposed.
Opposition leaders have strongly condemned the move. NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, slammed the petition as a “shameless and fraudulent attempt” by Anita Among to sideline her competition.
“There is a clear effort to block the three women challenging Anita Among in Bukedea, including our NUP candidate Alupo Mercy Marion,” Kyagulanyi wrote in a statement posted on X. “This is the same tactic she used in the last election and even during the NRM primaries.”
He further claimed that Alupo had never been notified of any tribunal proceedings and only learned about them upon receiving court summons.
“The judiciary is on trial whether it will stand for justice or enable this abuse of power,” Kyagulanyi warned.
With the Electoral Commission having scheduled parliamentary nominations for October 23–24, pressure is mounting on the body to explain its involvement in the matter. Civil society organizations and opposition parties are also closely monitoring the case, raising concerns over the credibility of the electoral process.
The case is scheduled for hearing on Monday. Its outcome could determine whether voters in Bukedea will have a genuine contest at the polls or face another uncontested race favoring the incumbent Speaker.
