Gomba East MP Godfrey Saazi has said he will appeal against a High Court decision nullifying his election, arguing that the judge did not adequately consider the circumstances surrounding the destruction of electoral materials at nine polling stations.
Speaking to Monitor by telephone on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Saazi thanked voters who elected him in the January 15 General Election and said the appeal process had begun.
‘I am going to appeal because I believe there are issues that were not properly considered by the High Court judge,’ he said.
Mr Saazi questioned why the destruction of electoral materials at nine polling stations should lead to the nullification of his victory, arguing that he had no involvement in the incidents.
He alleged that unidentified people with unknown motives destroyed presidential, woman MP and parliamentary ballot papers towards the end of polling. He further alleged that some members of the military were involved and said the matter had been reported to police. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Voting took place at 111 polling stations across the constituency, Mr Saazi said, questioning why incidents at nine stations should overturn the overall result.
‘Why should the actions of people whose identities and motives are not known be used to overturn the victory of someone who was not involved in destroying the materials?’ he asked.
He also questioned how votes from the affected stations could be attributed to any particular candidate in a race involving seven contenders.
However, in a judgment delivered on October 26, 2026, the High Court in Mpigi, presided over by Justice Jamson Karemani Karemera, ruled that the disruption of voting and destruction of electoral materials at the nine stations had substantially affected the outcome because voters’ choices could no longer be established.
The court nullified Mr Saazi’s election and declared the seat vacant, directing the Electoral Commission (EC) to organise a fresh poll.
Nine polling stations at centre of dispute
Mr Saazi, who contested on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, was declared the winner with 10,907 votes against 9,156 for his National Resistance Movement (NRM) rival, Henry Harris Kalule Kirumira, giving him a margin of 1,751 votes.
The court also considered the exclusion of results from four other polling stations. Although it found that the omission contravened electoral laws, it ruled that including the results would not have changed the winner.
The four stations had returned 453 votes for Mr Kalule and 366 for Mr Saazi. Including them would have raised Mr Saazi’s total to 11,273 votes and Mr Kalule’s to 9,609, leaving the NUP candidate ahead by 1,664 votes.
The court’s decision instead centred on the nine stations with 4,387 registered voters, where the destruction of electoral materials made it impossible to establish the voters’ choices.
Mr Saazi questioned the circumstances surrounding the destruction and the evidence concerning the alleged involvement of security personnel. He said affidavits presented during the petition raised questions about the role of members of the armed forces that, in his view, deserved closer scrutiny.
‘Who controls the Army? If you say there was no secure environment for voting, what action did the Electoral Commission take to protect the voters and the electoral materials?’ he asked.
The court heard allegations that unidentified people, some reportedly armed and dressed in military uniforms, disrupted voting and destroyed electoral materials at the affected stations.
However, Justice Karemani noted that the evidence before court did not establish who organised the violence or destroyed the materials. Mr Saazi denied responsibility for the disruptions.
The judge found that the failure to safeguard the electoral process and comply with electoral requirements had substantially affected the outcome, warranting a fresh election.
Background
According to EC records, seven candidates contested the Gomba East parliamentary seat.
Besides Mr Saazi and Mr Kalule, the candidates included independent Albert Ndahiro, who received 1,891 votes; independent Daniel Mukasa, who got 114; Simon Iga of the Democratic Front, who received 94; independent Peter Wasswa, who got 82; and independent Charles Bbaale, who received 35 votes.
Mr Saazi said he was confident the Court of Appeal would examine the issues raised in his appeal and deliver what he considers a fair outcome.
‘The process of appealing has begun today, October 27, 2026. We believe the Court of Appeal will give us justice. With God, we shall be victorious,’ he said.
The High Court ordered each party to bear its own costs. The EC is required to organise a fresh election, subject to any further developments arising from Mr Saazi’s appeal.