MASAKA— In a dramatic turn of events at the Masaka High Court, Sembabule District Woman MP Florence Nambaziira has admitted she never sat for her Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) or Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, defending her parliamentary seat instead on her expertise in hairdressing and makeup.
Nambaziira, a legislator representing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), made the stunning revelation before Justice Christine Akello. She is currently fighting to salvage her political career in a high-stakes election petition filed by her independent rival, Mary Begumisa.
The courtroom grew tense during cross-examination when Nambaziira initially struggled to explain the literal meaning of the acronym “PLE.” She subsequently conceded that while she attended school, she skipped the definitive checkpoint examinations of Primary Seven and Senior Four.
“I didn’t study Primary Seven and I didn’t do PLE, but I went to a vocational school,” Nambaziira testified, unbothered by the gasps in the room. “I am an expert in plaiting hair, washing hair, styling it, and applying makeup. I am a professional… I have my company, and I teach people how to make hair relaxers.”
Nambaziira’s confidence faces a steep uphill battle against state regulators. Testifying remotely via Zoom, Moses Mugizi, an official from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), delivered a blow to the MP’s defense. Mugizi explicitly told the court that the vocational certificates presented by Nambaziira do not meet the criteria required for university admission, shifting the legal spotlight to whether the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) ever equated her papers.
Under Ugandan law, a Member of Parliament must possess a minimum academic qualification of an Advanced Level (A-Level) certificate or its formal equivalent.
The petition stretches far beyond classroom credentials. Sembabule District Electoral Officer Gracious Aryaija was pinned to the wall over chaotic gaps on the Declaration of Results (DR) forms. While Aryaija argued that disgruntled opposition agents simply refused to sign after losing, locals from Sembabule painted a much darker picture.
Given a rare floor by Justice Akello to speak, local residents alleged widespread electoral malpractice, claiming the military violently interfered in the polling process, intimidated voters, and forced agents to sign fraudulent DR forms at gunpoint.
Begumisa and her lead counsel, Nelson Ainebyona, maintain that Nambaziira’s utter lack of foundational national exams makes her presence in the August House a legal impossibility. Justice Akello has adjourned the matter to review the academic audit and the heavy allegations of state-sponsored electoral fraud before delivering her final verdict.
