A recent TikTok post claiming that Rose Nalubowa was announced as the Woman Member of Parliament for Masaka City has been debunked as false. The post, published on 22 September 2026, features a video of Nalubowa speaking in Luganda, with the text "Nalubowa has been announced as MP Masaka city as woman Hon." However, PesaCheck's investigation found no evidence to support this claim. The video was posted amidst an ongoing legal contest over the validity of the January 2026 election winner of the Masaka Woman MP seat.
The Masaka Woman MP seat has been embroiled in a legal battle between National Unity Platform's (NUP) Rose Nalubowa and National Resistance Movement's Justine Nameere. The court earlier accepted a petition by Nameere seeking a vote recount and declared her the winner, reportedly polling the highest number of votes. This decision overturned an earlier Electoral Commission declaration of Nalubowa as a validly elected MP. Nalubowa appealed the vote recount, and the case has been ongoing.
In the claim video, Nalubowa discusses her court proceedings, mentioning that most of her witnesses would not be cross-examined, which she took as a sign that the defense team accepted their affidavits as truthful. She also stated that the court would now consider video evidence. PesaCheck's search using Nalubowa's remarks in the claim video led to videos showing that the politician was indeed speaking about the hearings in court, and not a declaration as MP.
PesaCheck conducted a keyword search to verify the claim and found reports of an ongoing electoral petition pitting the two politicians. The High Court in Masaka adjourned hearings of this petition to 30 September 2026 and 1 October 2026. This indicates that the election dispute is still ongoing, and no final decision has been made.
The TikTok post claiming Nalubowa's announcement as MP is part of a series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms. PesaCheck partners with Facebook and similar platforms to help sort fact from fiction. The organization provides the public with deeper insight and context into posts they see in their social media feeds.
PesaCheck's fact-checking initiative is crucial in East Africa, where misinformation can spread quickly. The organization was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein and has become a trusted source for fact-checking questionable content. PesaCheck's managing editor, Doreen Wainainah, approved the article for publication.
The fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Flavia Nassaka and edited by senior copy editor Mary Mutisya and chief copy editor Stephen Ndegwa. PesaCheck encourages the public to report suspicious or false information on Facebook and provides information on its methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
Key points
- The TikTok post claiming Rose Nalubowa was announced as Woman MP for Masaka City is false.
- The Masaka Woman MP seat is embroiled in a legal battle between Rose Nalubowa and Justine Nameere.
- PesaCheck partners with social media platforms to help sort fact from fiction and provide the public with accurate information.
