The highly contested Mukono District LC5 chairperson election dispute has entered a decisive legal phase after the petitioner, Mr Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga, successfully traced and formally served his rival, Mr Francis Lukooya Mukoome, with an election petition.
The petition, filed at the Mukono High Court under the Local Government Act and the Electoral Commission Act, challenges the controversial declaration of Mr Lukooya as the winner of the 2026 district chairperson race.
According to court documents seen by this publication, Mr Muyanja accuses both Mr Lukooya and the Electoral Commission (EC) of orchestrating gross irregularities during the final declaration of results. The formal notice of presentation now requires the respondents to file their defense within 10 days of service, failing which the court will proceed to hear the case in their absence.
The successful service of the petition marks a critical turning point in a political dispute that has gripped the nation, following dramatic scenes at the Mukono District Tally Centre on January 22, 2026.
The controversy stems from an unprecedented, U-turn by the Mukono District Returning Officer, Ms Emily Amongin. Earlier on the election night, Ms Amongin had officially announced Mr Muyanja as the winner of the seat after he polled 51,686 votes against Mr Lukooya’s 50,254 votes.
However, widespread confusion engulfed the tally centre shortly after the announcement. Supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) vehemently rejected the outcomes, insisting that their flagbearer, Mr Lukooya, had won the hotly contested race.
Eyewitness accounts detailed in the court documents indicate that Mr Muyanja’s attempts to access the returning officer’s desk to obtain his official Declaration of Results (DR) form were blocked by heavily armed security personnel.
In contrast, the Mukono District NRM Chairperson, Mr Haruna Ssemakula, reportedly gained access to the returning officer’s inner office, where he held a closed-door meeting with electoral officials lasting nearly two hours.
Following the private meeting, the returning officer reportedly left the tally centre premises for about an hour. Upon her return, and without offering a detailed explanation to the waiting candidates and agents, she overturned the initial results and declared Mr Lukooya the duly elected chairperson.
The revised and final results released by the EC showed Mr Lukooya securing victory with 52,523 votes, while Mr Muyanja’s tally was adjusted to 52,105 votes. An independent candidate in the race, Mr Lauben Ssenyonjo, trailed with ,3095 votes.
Mukono District has long been a volatile battleground in Ugandan local politics, often characterized by fierce rivalries between internal NRM factions and opposition coalitions. The dramatic reversal of results in January sparked widespread public outcry, with election observers raising red flags over the transparency of the tallying process and the heavy deployment of security forces.
With the petition now formally served, all eyes shift to the High Court in Mukono. Legal experts note that the case will heavily rely on the scrutiny of the original DR forms and accountability for the hours of disruption at the tally centre.
The Electoral Commission and Mr Lukooya are expected to submit their responses next week before the court fixes a date for the hearing.