Kalangala District is set to conclude the 11th Parliament and begin the 12th parliamentary term without a Woman Member of Parliament following the death of its incumbent MP, also MP-elect, Hellen Nakimuli, creating a temporary representation gap until a by-election is conducted.
The Kalangala District Woman Member of Parliament seat fell vacant following the death of Hellen Nakimuli, following an unsuccessful surgical procedure at Alexandros Medical Center in Kampala.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, said the district will have no representative sworn in when the 12th Parliament commences on May 13, 2026.
According to Byabakama, the law requires that the Clerk to Parliament first formally notify the Electoral Commission of the vacancy before any electoral process can begin. Only after this notification can the Commission organise a by-election within 60 days.
“The implication is that at the start of the new term, there will be nobody to take oath as the duly elected Woman Member of Parliament for Kalangala,” he explained.
The delay highlights a constitutional and procedural gap that leaves constituents temporarily unrepresented, despite having participated in a general election.
Byabakama emphasised that the Commission is legally constrained from acting before the end of the current parliamentary term on May 12, noting that conducting a by-election before then would be unlawful.
“We cannot hold a by-election in the remaining days of the current term. The process must follow the law, starting with formal notification,” he said.
The development mirrors a recent case in Kikuube District, where a district chairperson who had been re-elected also passed away before assuming office. In that instance, the Electoral Commission has already been notified and is preparing a roadmap for fresh elections.
The situation in Kalangala underscores the challenges electoral bodies face in managing unexpected vacancies between election cycles and the start of new terms.
Once notified, the Electoral Commission is expected to release a detailed electoral programme outlining timelines for nominations, campaigns, and polling to ensure Kalangala regains representation in Parliament.
Until then, residents of the island district will have to wait as legal processes take their course before a new Woman MP can be elected and sworn in.
