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Minister of Lands Hon Judith Nabakooba has confirmed she will be hoping back in the race for Mityana District Woman MP.
The Minister lost the seat to opposition NUP’s Joyce Bagala Ntwaatwa in the 2021 election.
She also lost a court challenge of the election results, wherein she had claimed voter bribery, intimidation, and tampering with declaration forms.
Hon Nabakooba, this week took to TikTok to announce her plan to regain the Mityana seat.
“The people of Mityana district, I am here to confirm that I am coming back. You have been reaching out to me all this while, I am here and I am in the race.
“Do not disappoint me again”
The minister, in her message, pleaded with the people of Mityana not to treat her like they did in the last election.
“From today up to January 2026 when we go to the polls, we shall be moving together,” she said.
“But what I want to plead with you is that you should be faithful this time round. Be truthful and nice. You know how much I care for you,” she said.
“I served you once as your leader, and the things I did for you are still visible to this date. I assure you that where we stopped is where we shall start from.”
2021 shock defeat
In the 2021 general elections, Nabakooba, who was the incumbent on the NRM ticket, lost to the novice opposition candidate, Bagala who had just left her television job to join politics.
Bagala emerged victorious, securing 64,305 votes against Nabakooba's 48,078 votes.
Campaign Dynamics
The campaign period was marked by intense competition and allegations of electoral malpractices.
Nabakooba accused Bagala and her agents of engaging in voter bribery, intimidation, and tampering with declaration forms.
She claimed that presiding officers colluded with Bagala's team to alter results in her favour.
Legal Challenges and Court Rulings
Following the election, Nabakooba filed a petition challenging the results, citing the alleged irregularities.
In October 2021, the High Court in Mubende nullified Bagala's election, agreeing that there was sufficient evidence of electoral offences, including bribery. The court ordered a by-election for the Mityana Woman MP seat.
Bagala appealed the High Court's decision. In June 2022, the Court of Appeal overturned the nullification, reinstating Bagala as the duly elected Mityana Woman MP.
The appellate court found that Nabakooba had failed to provide compelling evidence to substantiate the allegations of electoral malpractice.
The Court of Appeal's decision brought legal closure to the electoral dispute, allowing Bagala to continue her tenure as Mityana Woman MP.
Joyce Bagala Vs NUP
Through her term, Hon Bagala has seen relations with her party the NUP diminish over time, partly due to her closeness to the embattled former party Vice President, Mathias Mpuuga.
In a recent interview on CBS fm, she said she was not worried whether or not the NUP would hand her its ticket again for the Mityana seat.