Electoral Commission dismisses claims of nullification of Gulu City male youth candidate

The Gulu City Returning Officer, Mike Jjuuko, has dismissed circulating rumours that Daniel Rubangakene commonly known as “Boyika” has been disqualified from the race for Gulu City male youth councillor. Rubangakene, the incumbent male youth councillor for Gulu City, is contesting on the NRM ticket in a bid to retain his seat.

The race has attracted three candidates: Daniel Rubangakene (NRM), Emmanuel Okane (Independent), and Richard Onencan (Independent).

Onencan, one of Rubangakene’s opponents, claimed that the Electoral Commission nullified Rubangakene’s nomination following a petition, alleging that Rubangakene had exceeded the age limit for youth leadership. He further alleged that Rubangakene possesses two National Identification Numbers (NINs): CM9300510415MK, said to be the original, and CM9600510415MK, which he claims was acquired around July last year after the NRM primary election.

However, a fact check by our reporter on the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) website indicates that the NIN beginning with CM93 belongs to Daniel Rubangakene, born on 9 March, while the NIN beginning with CM96 is listed as invalid.

Speaking to tndNews Uganda, Jjuuko said his office has received no official communication regarding the alleged nullification, stressing that Rubangakene remains a duly nominated candidate.
“I don’t know about it. Maybe the nullification was done at the headquarters in Kampala, but no communication has reached our office. As far as we are concerned, Rubangakene is still a candidate for the youth position,” Jjuuko said.

The National ID card details reviewed by Radio Rupiny indicate that Daniel Rubangakene was born on 9 March 1996, although his NIN begins with CM93. According to the National Youth Council Act (Cap. 319), a person is eligible to contest as a Youth Councillor at both local government and national levels if they are aged between 18 and 30 years on the nomination day.

Rubangakene was nominated on September 5, 2025.
The Special Interest Group elections for Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Workers, and Older Persons for Gulu City and across the country was held on Wednesday January 21.
For Gulu City, Rubangakene Daniel was declared a winner after obtaining 177 votes against Onencan who got 50 and Okane who got 17 votes.

This fact-check/story was produced by Rosemary Anena with support from Debunk Media Initiative and BBC Media Action.