Florence Nambaziira has told the Masaka High Court she never sat primary or ordinary-level national examinations, as her rival challenges her academic eligibility and raises allegations of electoral irregularities.
Sembabule District Woman MP Florence Nambaziira has told the Masaka High Court that she never sat the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) or the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, defending her qualifications on the basis of vocational training and professional experience.
Nambaziira, of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, made the admission while testifying before Justice Christine Akello in an election petition filed by her rival, Mary Begumisa, who is challenging her victory in the parliamentary race.
Begumisa, an independent, is questioning whether Nambaziira meets the academic requirements for election to Parliament and has also raised allegations of electoral malpractice.
During cross-examination, Nambaziira was asked to explain the meaning of PLE but initially struggled to give the correct answer. She subsequently told court that although she had attended school, she did not sit the Primary Seven examinations or proceed to sit the Senior Four examinations.
Instead, she said she had pursued vocational training in hairdressing, which equipped her with practical skills that she has used to establish a business and train others.
“I didn't study Primary Seven and I didn't do PLE, but I went to a vocational school. I am an expert in plaiting hair, washing hair, styling it and applying makeup,” Nambaziira told court.
She said she obtained three certificates covering the first, second and third grades of hairdressing training.
According to Nambaziira, the training combined theory and practical work, including lessons in business management and customer care.
“We were doing both theory and practicals. They taught us how to manage our businesses and how to treat clients,” she said.
The legislator added that she had established a company through which she trains people in hairdressing and the manufacture of hair relaxers.
“I am a professional. I am no longer studying, but I teach others this profession. I have my company, and I teach people how to make hair relaxers and plait different hairstyles,” she said.
Nambaziira expressed confidence that she would defeat the petition, arguing that her critics did not understand her educational background.
Uneb official testifies
Meanwhile, Moses Mugizi, an official from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), testified remotely via Zoom about Nambaziira's academic documents.
Mugizi told court that the documents presented did not qualify Nambaziira for university admission. He also referred to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) in relation to matters concerning higher education qualifications.
The evidence is expected to help court assess the nature of Nambaziira's documents and whether they satisfy the legal requirements for parliamentary candidature.
Sembabule District Electoral Officer Gracious Aryaija also testified, facing questions about the signing of Declaration of Results forms, commonly known as DR forms.
Aryaija told court that agents representing Begumisa had signed declaration forms in some polling areas despite the candidates being political rivals.
He suggested that some agents representing other candidates might have declined to sign after realising that their preferred candidates had lost in particular areas.
The evidence forms part of Begumisa's wider challenge to the conduct of the election, including questions about the declaration of results.
During the proceedings, Justice Akello gave residents of Sembabule an opportunity to express their views on the conduct of the election.
Some residents alleged that violence occurred during the election period and accused the army of involvement. Others claimed that individuals had been intimidated or forced to sign declaration forms.
The residents also accused electoral officials of conducting the election unfairly and called on the judge to deliver a fair ruling.
The allegations remain claims and will need to be assessed against the evidence and applicable law.
Begumisa and her lawyer, Ainebyona Nelson, maintained their challenge to Nambaziira's academic documents, arguing that the qualifications require thorough scrutiny.
The petition raises questions about whether the legislator's vocational certificates meet the academic requirements prescribed by law for election to Parliament.
However, the absence of PLE and UCE examination results does not, on its own, establish whether a candidate is legally ineligible. That determination depends on the applicable legal requirements and the evidence before court.
The court is expected to assess the competing arguments, the academic documents and the allegations concerning the electoral process before reaching a decision.
The petition places both Nambaziira's eligibility and the conduct of the election under judicial scrutiny.