Electoral Commission gives update on Kalangala by-election to replace Nakimuli

• Kalangala will enter the 12th Parliament without a Woman MP after Nakimuli’s death.

• Hellen Nakimuli died on April 19, 2026, after a surgical procedure in Kampala.

• Law requires a by-election within 60 days of a vacancy, but the process will begin after May 13, 2026.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has offered clarification about the replacement of Kalangala District Woman MP following the death of legislator Hellen Nakimuli.

The commission said it will only organise a by-election for Kalangala District Woman MP after the 12th Parliament is sworn in.

Speaking on the matter on Monday, EC chairperson Eng Simon Byabakama said the Commission cannot conduct a by-election in the remaining weeks of the current parliamentary term. He noted that the 11th Parliament is ending soon, leaving no time to organise the process.

“Kalangala at the moment has no District Woman MP and there is no time. The 11th Parliament is ending in a matter of weeks and so, we cannot do anything,” Byabakama said.

He added that the situation will change once the new Parliament begins on May 13, 2026. At that point, Kalangala will enter the 12th Parliament without representation because the MP-elect died before taking oath.

“But once the 12th Parliament is ushered in on May 13th, the Kalangala will have no representative in the new parliament; because the one they just elected passed away,” he said.

“It is at that point that we shall launch the process of electing another woman MP through a byelection as the law guides.”

Nakimuli, the National Unity Platform legislator, died on April 19, 2026, after an unsuccessful surgical procedure in Kampala, according to reports. 

She had been re-elected to represent Kalangala District in the 12th Parliament and was widely known as “Mama Kalangala” for her work in the Ssese Islands, where she championed women and youth empowerment. 

Her death came just weeks before the swearing-in of the new Parliament, creating an unusual situation where the district has no sitting MP and no MP-elect to assume office.

Under Uganda’s legal framework, the Clerk to Parliament must notify the Electoral Commission within 10 days once a parliamentary seat falls vacant. 

The Commission is then required to organise a by-election within 60 days of receiving that notification. 

However, Byabakama explained that this timeline cannot be applied immediately in Kalangala because the current parliamentary term is about to end. 

As a result, the district will temporarily remain without a Woman MP until the new term begins and the EC issues a roadmap for the by-election.

The Commission said it will wait for formal communication from the Clerk to Parliament before announcing nomination dates, campaigns and polling timelines.

Byabakama said the EC will move quickly once the new Parliament is in place. The by-election will follow the usual process, guided by constitutional timelines and electoral laws.

He extended condolences to Nakimuli’s family and the people of Kalangala, describing her death as a loss to the country.