Dozens of election petitions resulting from the January 2026 general elections are currently being heard by courts throughout Uganda, while the judges have imposed strict rules regarding media coverage, security, and procedural applications as they work to clear the backlog.
On Wednesday one of the most closely watched developments occurred at the Kabale High Court, when Justice Farouk Lubega prohibited live media coverage and the recording of two petitions which were challenging the result of the election of independent candidate Eddie Kwizera Wagahungu in Bukimbiri County, Kisoro District. Kwizera kept the seat with 14,761 votes compared to NRM’s Asingario Turyagyenda (12,553) and FDC’s James Owebeye (102). The judge stated that the ban was necessary in order to avoid distortion of the proceedings and to ensure that the cases were properly managed. It was ordered that journalists should remove their recording equipment from inside the courtroom. The petitions, which claim that there was voter intimidation, bribery and manipulation of the results, have been postponed and further hearings will take place this month and in early October.
In Masaka the focus is on the high-profile petition from lawyer Jet Tumwebaze concerning Godfrey Aine Kaguta, better known as Sodo. Tumwebaze, who stood as an independent candidate, is attempting to have Sodo’s victory nullified (Sodo received 12,895 votes compared to Tumwebaze’s 6,426). He has asked to represent himself together with his legal team and wishes for some of Sodo’s lawyers to be disqualified on the grounds of a supposed conflict of interest, as those lawyers had previously represented him. Justice Thomas Ocaya Ojele has set September 23 for a decision on these applications. The petition also casts doubt on Sodo’s academic qualifications and includes allegations of violence and ballot irregularities.
Similar activities are still going on in other cases involving Masaka. The petition brought by Gorreth Namugga against NRM’s Dez Byuuma Oswaldo has been postponed to September 28 because the lawyers for the respondent asked for more time to go over the documents. Namugga claims that there was widespread violence which disrupted the voting in some areas of the constituency.
Security has meanwhile been considerably increased. At Luweero High Court, where several petitions—including that directed against State Minister Joseph Kabuye Kyofatogabye—are currently being processed, the Deputy Registrar has restricted each candidate’s entourage to 15 persons and has introduced compulsory security checks. The petition brought by former MP Allan Mayanja Ssebunya against Kyofatogabye claims that there were irregularities in the declaration of results at more than 30 polling stations. A handwriting expert has now been brought into the case and the full trial is set for mid-October.
In Kasese the hearing for Jackson Mbaju Kathika’s Busongora South petition against David Isimbwa Mulindwa is scheduled for October 20; Kathika, having lost by a narrow margin, alleges there were discrepancies in the voting at some of the polling stations.
The Judiciary has sent out around 100 officers to deal with hundreds of petitions across the country, and hearings in the High Court will continue until mid-November. Judges have on several occasions emphasized the importance of order, speed, and fairness as the nation waits for the final decisions which could alter a number of parliamentary seats.
These examples show the fierce legal disputes that take place after each general election in Uganda, as the people who have filed petitions try to demonstrate that there have been irregularities while the winners defend the validity of their results under increased judicial examination.
