Aidah Nabayiga Sworn In as Kalangala Woman MP

Aidah Nabayiga, a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, has been sworn in as the Woman Member of Parliament for Kalangala District, officially taking her seat in the 12th Parliament after winning a by-election held in June.

Nabayiga took the oath of allegiance and the oath of a Member of Parliament before Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa during Wednesday’s plenary sitting.

The by-election was held following the death of former Kalangala Woman MP Hellen Nakimuli of the Representing the National Resistance Movement.  She secured 12,642 votes to reclaim the seat that she had lost to Nakimuli in 2021 after serving only one term of office.

This time, she defeated Irene Nampala, the NUP candidate, who garnered 7,474 votes. Other contenders included Sarah Babirye, who received 244 votes, Hellen Flavia Nagawa with 217 votes, and Agnes Nassuna, who polled 34 votes.

Although the Kalangala by-election was among the first parliamentary by-elections since the inauguration of the 12th Parliament and did not alter the balance of power in the House, it restored full parliamentary representation for the island district and returned the seat to the NRM after a single term under the NUP.

Following her victory, Nabayiga pledged to unite the people of Kalangala, strengthen NRM structures across the district, and lobby for the revival of stalled government projects, particularly those aimed at improving transport, healthcare, education and livelihoods in the island communities.

However, the election outcome has been challenged by Nampala, who alleges irregularities during the tallying process. She claims that some of her polling agents were forced out of polling stations by security personnel before declaration forms were altered and submitted to the district tally centre.

Nampala also alleges that in some polling stations in Kyamuswa County, the number of ballots counted exceeded the number of registered voters. She says these allegations will form the basis of legal action to challenge the election results.