Chaos unfolded on Monday morning at the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) headquarters in Ntinda when James Atwiine Nkizimagara, a former parliamentary aspirant for Isingiro North, chained himself to the main gate.

Nkizimagara’s protest is linked to the withdrawal of UNEB’s earlier verification of his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) documents, which led to his disqualification from the 2026 parliamentary elections by the Electoral Commission (EC).

He had intended to contest as an independent candidate against the sitting State Minister for Animal Husbandry, Bright Rwamirama, after losing the NRM primaries in July. The EC removed him from the ballot following UNEB’s notification that his academic documents were no longer considered valid.

Speaking at the protest, Nkizimagara expressed frustration over what he described as delays and lack of clarity from UNEB. “I have lost the parliamentary seat, and that’s okay, all I want is for UNEB to release my documents so I can start afresh,” he said.

Nkizimagara stated that he presented his National ID and passport to UNEB’s Security Committee to confirm his identity. He also said he had obtained a court order directing UNEB to resolve the matter, but that a ruling had not yet been issued.

The aspirant and his legal team have requested meetings and hearings with UNEB to address the issue. He has called on human rights bodies, including the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to ensure that his documents are released and that he receives a clear explanation from the Board.

UNEB has not issued a public statement regarding the protest or the status of Nkizimagara’s documents.