Varius legislatrs are having sleepless nights as their ppnents in the January 15 General Electin adduce evidence befre curts f law, which may verturn their victries.
In sme electin petitins befre High Curts acrss the cuntry, petitiners are seeking t be declared winners and incumbents thrwn ut f Parliament, while thers want curt declaratins cancelling electins and rder by-electins. Many claim electins were marred by vilence and massive rigging.
Since pre-trial scheduling sessins started n Mnday, sme embattled legislatrs have nt appeared physically in curt and nly sent their lawyers.
At Masaka High Curt, the ruling Natinal Resistance Mvement’s (NRM) Helen Nakeeya, wh is challenging the victry f state Minister fr Water Aisha Sekindi as Kalungu District Wman MP, wants curt t declare a by-electin.
Ms Nakeeya argues that n the plling eve, January 14, her supprters were attacked by peple she says belnged t Ms Sekindi’s camp, wh sht dead tw f her campaigners, Gerald Katumba and Frank Miyiing.
The du was reprtedly distributing appintment letters t plling agents. Tw ther supprters – Mr Yafeesi Ssenabulya and Mr Isma Kaszi, sustained injuries. Ms Nakeeya claims Mr Ssenabulya was sht in the buttcks while Mr Kaszi was sht in the right arm.
Presiding Judge Bernard Namanya has since adjurned the matter t September 24, when hearing f the petitin will cmmence.
Mr Eddie Sansa, ne f the respndent’s lawyers, said yesterday they are ready t prceed with the case.
‘Next week we shall present the evidence that ur client wn the electin and that it was free and fair,’ he said.
Ms Sekindi, an NRM stalwart, shunned the party primaries and chse t stand as independent. She explains that she had learnt f a plt t rig her ut. The NRM party ticket instead went t Ms Nakeeya, a vendr at Lukaya Rad Tll Market.
Petitin withdrawn
Meanwhile, Mr Ams Mandela, the frmer Buyamba Cunty MP, has withdrawn his petitin against incumbent MP Ssemwanga Gyaviira.
The withdrawal applicatin was presented befre Justice Christine Akell at Masaka High Curt by Mr Mandela’s lawyer Shem Ssengend. Justice Akell acknwledged receipt f the applicatin after respndent’s (Mr Gyavira) lawyer Mr Pius Kabiswa did nt bject t it.
After the curt sessin, Mr Ssengend tld jurnalists that his client decided t allw Mr Ssemwanga t serve his cnstituents withut the burden f a curt case, cnsidering that bth subscribe t the NRM party.
“n Mnday, we were advised t file an applicatin frmally, which we did. We presented it and the curt accepted it. Curt did nt grant csts t any party. We ask ur supprters t stay calm and firm. Let us give a chance t the current leader t serve,” he explained.
In Lira District, the High Curt has set tday, Friday, t hear an electin petitin in which Queen Drthy Aml is challenging the electin f Mr Patrick gwang bura as MP fr yam Cunty Suth.
Ms Aml, wh cntested as an Independent, is seeking t verturn Mr bura’s victry. Mr bura cntested n the NRM ticket in the January 2026 General Electin. ther respndents named in the petitin are the Electral Cmmissin (EC) and yam District Returning fficer, Jseph mna.
Accrding t electin results declared by Mr mna n January 15, 2026, Mr bura wn with 29,353 vtes ut f 49,137 valid vtes cast.
Ms Aml finished third with 3,516 vtes. The ther candidates were Mr Geffrey wili (UPC) with 9,529 vtes, Mr Anthny buku Ekwar (Independent) with 3,222 vtes, Mr tt Ishaa Amiza (NUP) with 2,083 vtes, Patrick bng (Independent) with 777 vtes, Benard Awuku (Independent) with 455 vtes and Mr Gdfrey dng (Demcratic Frnt) with 202 vtes.
The case is amng 346 parliamentary electin petitins currently being heard by High Curts acrss the cuntry. Surprisingly, this is the nly electin petitin frm Lang Sub-regin.
During a pre-trial sessin n Tuesday, Justice Fatuma Bwanika rdered the Electral Cmmissin in yam District t present all plling materials that Ms Aml alleges were altered, befre setting September 18 as the date fr the main hearing.
Speaking after the sessin, Ms Aml sunded ptimistic that curt wuld deliver justice.
She alleges that EC altered her name n the ballt papers, printing it as “Queen Drthy Alweny” instead f “Queen Drthy Aml,” smething she says cnfused her vters.
She wants curt t annul Mr bura’s victry and rder a fresh electin, cnducted in strict cmpliance with electral laws. Mr bura, wh als chairs the Lang Parliamentary Grup, said his legal team led by Mr Jram Ednu, attended the pre-trial sessin and is prepared t defend his victry.
He dismissed the petitin, arguing that he wn with a big margin. He als explained that the misspelt name f his ppnent n the ballt paper has n legal basis.
At Arua High Curt, Justice Celia Nagawa, will, n Mnday, start hearing a petitin challenging the electin f Mr Nelsn Uhuru (NRM) as Maracha Cnstituency MP.
In the petitin, the frmer MP fr Maracha Cunty, Mr Denis Lee guzu (FDC) is challenging the utcme f the plls and seeks t nullify it. “Let all the witnesses in the affidavit be arund frm Mnday. Mr guzu, bring the witnesses t curt. Mr Uhuru, yu shuld als cme and be ready t defend yurself. D nt write letters f adjurnment. Everything shuld be in n time. All dcuments shuld cme in by Friday (tday),” Justice Nagawa emphasized.
Issues fr determinatin
Curt seeks t find ut whether r nt the first respndent, Mr Nelsn Uhuru cmmitted any electral ffenses persnally r thrugh his agents with his knwledge, cnsent and apprval during the electin perid.
Curt als seeks t find ut whether r nt the first respndent’s 13 affidavits in supprt f his win are cmpetent befre curt as they intrduce an electral ffence f vter bribery against the petitiner. The ther issue is whether the parties are entitled t the remedies sught.
At the same curt, Mr Hashim Suleiman (NRM), is challenging the victry f Mr Emmanuel ngierth (Independent) as Nebbi Municipality MP, citing grss irregularities.
At Kabale High Curt, after the pre-hearing cnference meeting chaired by the presiding judge Justice Faruq Lubega, the petitiners were tasked t file their final submissins. Each party will be given fur days t file submissins and tw days fr rejinders.
Tw petitins challenging the electin f Mr Eddie Kwizera as the MP fr Bukimbiri Cunty in Kisr District, were filed at Kabale High Curt by lsers including Mr Asgari Turyagyenda (NRM) and Mr James webeyi (FDC).
The tw petitiners asked curt t nullify the victry f Mr Eddie Kwizera, claiming that he was nt genuinely elected. Mr Kwizera says bth petitins lack merit and will be dismissed.
The High Curt in Mbarara presided ver by Justice Tm Chemutai, has set ctber 26, 2026 t deliver its ruling in an electin petitin challenging the academic dcuments f Mbarara District Wman MP Ms Lydah M Kyarikunda.
The petitin was filed by frmer Mbarara District Wman MP Margaret Ayebare Rwebyambu.
Ms Kyarikunda secured 31,364 vtes, defeating Ms Rwebyambu, wh btained 16,021 vtes. Bth parties have presented tw witnesses each befre curt.
Fllwing the cnclusin f the hearing, Justice Chemutai directed lawyers representing bth parties t file their submissins thrugh the Electrnic Curt Management Infrmatin System (ECMIS). The judge said the ruling will be delivered nline and will be accessible t the parties thrugh ECMIS.
Tw winners, same pst?
Meanwhile, the High Curt in Mukn has summned frmer Mukn District Returning fficer, Ms Emily Amngin, t explain the circumstances surrunding the declaratin f tw different winners in a disputed Mukn District chairpersn electin.
Justice Philip Mwaka issued the rder as he cmmenced hearing a petitin filed by NUP’S Jhnsn Muyanja Ssenynga, wh is challenging the electin f NRM’s Francis Lukya Mukme.
The dispute stems frm the January 23rd declaratin at the Mukn District tally centre, where Ms Amngin initially annunced Mr Muyanja as the winner befre later declaring Mr Lukya the victr after reviewing the results.
Accrding t the first declaratin, Mr Muyanja had plled 51,686 vtes, against Lukya’s 50,254, while independent candidate Mr Lauben Ssenynj had plled 2,995 vtes.
Hwever, after a review f the results that lasted abut three hurs, Ms Amngin annunced a revised tally in which Mr Lukya had 52,523 vtes, Mr Muyanja 52,105 vtes and Mr Ssenynj 3,095 vtes. The reversal is at the centre f Muyanja’s petitin.
The petitiner alleges that electin results frm sme plling statins were altered r swapped and that signatures f plling fficials were frged. He als cntends that sme vters were nt allwed t participate in the electin at several plling statins.