By Andrew Baba Buluba
How the Bugiri Woman MP turned years of political disappointments into an electoral breakthrough, survived a court challenge and returned to Parliament with an opportunity to fulfil a long-standing promise to her people.
For Eunice Namatende, the High Court ruling delivered on November 13, 2026, was more than the conclusion of an election petition. It was the end of another anxious chapter in a political journey that has demanded extraordinary patience, determination and resilience. After nearly two decades of pursuing parliamentary representation, winning the Bugiri District Woman MP seat in the January 2026 general election, and subsequently defending that victory in court, Namatende finally had reason to celebrate.
Her journey is one of those political stories that demonstrate that electoral defeat does not necessarily mark the end of a political ambition. Sometimes, it is simply another chapter in a much longer struggle to earn public trust.
A political ambition that refused to die
Namatende’s entry into elective politics dates back to 2006, when, at just 21 years of age, she contested the Bugiri Woman MP seat under the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). She was taking on established political figures, including the then incumbent Justine Kasule Lumumba.
The odds were difficult. Lumumba secured 80,290 votes against Namatende’s 35,621. Yet, rather than interpret the defeat as a signal to abandon politics, the young challenger returned to the electorate in 2011.
That second attempt was equally unsuccessful. She finished third with 17,072 votes, behind Lumumba, who secured 34,544, and Ancillia Bateganya Dick, who obtained 28,728 votes.
In 2016, she returned with considerably stronger electoral support. Namatende polled 40,817 votes against Agnes Wejuli Taaka’s 42,231, losing by only 1,414 votes. It was a particularly painful setback because the gap was narrow enough to reinforce the belief that the parliamentary seat was within her reach.
The announcement of the 2016 results was followed by protests in Bugiri, with police using tear gas and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators. Eleven people, including a secondary school student, were reportedly injured.
In 2018, she changed constituencies and contested the newly created Bugiri Municipality parliamentary seat under FDC. The race was complicated by divisions within the Opposition, particularly the disagreement between FDC and JEEMA over whether to support one candidate. JEEMA’s Asuman Basalirwa eventually won with 3,928 votes, while Namatende finished third with 928.
She returned to the Bugiri Woman MP contest in 2021, once again without securing the seat.
These successive disappointments, compounded by widely circulated allegation and belief that she was fraudulently denied victory on several of the seven attempts could easily have ended the ambitions of a less determined politician. But Namatende remained politically active, maintained her relationships with communities and continued pursuing the issues that had originally inspired her entry into politics.
Her eventual victory in 2026 therefore represented more than a successful campaign. It was the culmination of years of political investment.
Contemporaneous reporting by the Daily Monitor documents her early contests and the 2018 political divisions.
The courage to change political direction
One of the defining decisions in Namatende’s political journey was her departure from FDC and eventual alignment with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
After years of contesting under the Opposition, she crossed to NRM in 2024, subsequently becoming involved in the party’s structures. The transition was politically significant, considering that she had built much of her public identity as an FDC activist.
Her decision was not without political implications. Changing political affiliation required her to introduce herself to a different political constituency, negotiate new relationships and demonstrate that her ambition was fundamentally about representation rather than simply party identity.
In 2025, she faced another important test when she contested the NRM primaries against the incumbent Agnes Taaka Wejuli. Namatende won the party ticket with 52,851 votes against Taaka’s 21,795, according to subsequent election reporting.
That victory was important because it demonstrated that her political journey had not depended exclusively on her previous Opposition identity. She had successfully navigated a new political environment and secured the confidence of party members.
Her eventual victory in the January 2026 general election confirmed the breakthrough.
She obtained 50,020 votes, defeating Rebecca Namumbya, who polled 46,559. The margin of 3,461 votes was significant, particularly considering the competitive nature of the election.
Interestingly, Namatende herself acknowledged that internal party disagreements had affected her campaign. She indicated that some NRM leaders had supported Opposition candidates, potentially reducing her vote tally.
Her ability to overcome those divisions and emerge victorious demonstrated another important quality: political adaptability.
A court battle before the celebrations
Just when Namatende appeared to have achieved the political breakthrough she had pursued for years, another challenge emerged.
Rebecca Namumbya challenged her election in the High Court at Iganga through Election Petition No. 04 of 2026, seeking to have the results nullified over allegations of bribery, illegal campaigning and other electoral irregularities.
The petition sought, among other remedies, the cancellation of Namatende’s election and an order for a fresh election.
However, in his judgment dated November 13, 2026, Acting Judge Simon Peter M. Kinobe dismissed the petition.
The court examined the allegations and found that the petitioner had not sufficiently established the essential ingredients of bribery. Among the evidential shortcomings identified were failures to establish that alleged recipients were registered voters through the National Voters’ Register, to prove that the alleged perpetrators were Namatende’s agents and to demonstrate that she had authorised, consented to or approved the alleged illegal activities.
The court similarly found that the allegations of election-day campaigning had not been sufficiently proved against Namatende.
There was also an important procedural finding. Although the petition had been filed on March 9, 2026, the Electoral Commission had gazetted the results on February 6. The judge calculated that the statutory filing deadline expired on March 8. The petition was therefore filed one day late.
The judge consequently dismissed the petition both for failure to prove its substantive grounds and for being outside the prescribed statutory period.
Each party was ordered to bear its own costs.
The significance of this decision cannot be overstated. Namatende had not only won the election but had also successfully defended the result through the judicial process. Her electoral mandate remained intact.
A representative with a constituency agenda
Beyond the political battles, however, Namatende’s real test is now her performance in Parliament.
Her earlier public statements provide a useful indication of the priorities she intends to pursue. In a 2018 Daily Monitor interview, she identified education, maternal health, inadequate medical equipment, poor roads, poverty and the need for stronger representation as issues requiring attention in Bugiri.
She also expressed concern about the condition of Bukooli College, teacher motivation and inadequate accommodation for educators.
These concerns have not disappeared from her parliamentary agenda.
Since joining the Twelfth Parliament, Namatende has begun raising practical constituency issues on the floor of the House.
On July 9, 2026, she drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the incomplete rehabilitation of a bridge connecting Bugiri and Butaleja districts. She complained that work had stalled after approximately half of the project had been completed and called for government intervention.
On August 11, she raised concerns about infrastructure funding under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development programme, alongside serious human-resource shortages across Bugiri District.
She gave the example of health centre IIIs operating with only three medical workers and schools with approximately 1,000 learners served by just four teachers. She called for additional funding to enable the recruitment of personnel.
On September 2, she highlighted the absence of Health Centre IIIs in four town councils along the Jinja-Tororo Highway, despite the elevation of Bugiri District Hospital to referral-hospital status.
She also drew attention to the deteriorating condition of Bugiri Central Market and called for intervention in the implementation of presidential development pledges.
These interventions suggest that she is beginning to translate her long-standing campaign concerns into parliamentary advocacy.
Her participation in the Twelfth Parliament’s Education and Sports and Government Assurances committee work also provides an opportunity to pursue education improvements and hold government accountable for its commitments.
Why Namatende deserves an opportunity to succeed
There are several reasons why Namatende’s political journey deserves recognition.
First is her resilience. Remaining politically relevant after successive defeats requires more than personal ambition. It requires the ability to maintain relationships, rebuild political structures and convince voters to give you another opportunity.
Second is her understanding of grassroots politics. Her electoral journey has taken her through rural Bugiri, the municipality and the wider district. She has had to engage different communities, understand their concerns and adjust her political approach.
Third is her professional background as an educator. Education is one of the areas where her constituency needs sustained representation, particularly in addressing teacher shortages, infrastructure and the quality of learning.
Finally, her parliamentary interventions demonstrate an emerging focus on tangible development concerns rather than purely partisan political exchanges.
But the greatest opportunity before her is also the greatest responsibility.
Winning after nearly two decades of trying should not become the final achievement of her political career. It should be the beginning of a new chapter defined by measurable service delivery.
Bugiri needs better roads, adequately staffed health facilities, improved schools, a functional central market and greater opportunities for women and young people.
Her pledge to maintain regular consultations with constituents should become a practical mechanism for accountability. Monthly engagement, as she previously promised, would allow residents to assess progress, communicate concerns and participate in identifying priorities.
The journey is complete; the work begins
Namatende’s victory is a reminder that politics is not always a straight road. Some journeys involve years of rejection, difficult decisions, changing political circumstances and battles that extend beyond the ballot box.
From her first parliamentary contest in 2006 to her eventual victory in 2026, she has demonstrated an unwillingness to surrender an ambition she believes is worth pursuing.
The High Court ruling of November 13 has removed the immediate legal uncertainty surrounding her election. It has also given her an opportunity to concentrate fully on the responsibility entrusted to her by the people of Bugiri.
She deserves congratulations for the determination that brought her this far. More importantly, she deserves the opportunity to demonstrate that the years spent pursuing this mandate have prepared her for the demands of public office.
For a woman who spent nearly twenty years knocking on the doors of Parliament, the door has finally opened.
Now Bugiri must see what she can achieve from inside.
The writer is the Assistant Resident City Commissioner for Nyendo Mukungwe Masaka City
