Uganda’s High Court in Kampala has begun pretrial proceedings for a series of petitions challenging results from the January 2026 parliamentary and local council elections, with judges urging parties to avoid unnecessary delays and consider mediation where possible.
At least 20 election petitions have been assigned to four judges, with 17 of the cases undergoing pretrial scheduling conferences on Monday as the court started preparing the matters for substantive hearings.
During the sessions, judges and lawyers examined pleadings, affidavits and other documents filed by the parties. The court also considered preliminary objections and other legal issues that could determine how individual petitions proceed.
In a petition filed by Francis Lubega against Makindye West MP Ali Mulyanyama and the Electoral Commission, lawyer Alex Luganda argued that the case had been filed outside the required legal period. He also maintained that some of the complaints fell within the mandate of the Electoral Commission.
Justice Allan Nshiimye encouraged the parties to explore mediation, reminding them that election petitions are civil proceedings. He also cautioned that parties who lose such cases could face orders to pay costs, while noting that cross-examination would require the court’s permission and would be restricted to relevant issues.
Another case before the court involves Ivan Bwowe’s challenge to the election of opposition leader Joel Ssenyonyi as Nakawa West MP. The parties informed court that pleadings had closed and that no witnesses were expected to be cross-examined because the facts were largely undisputed, leaving legal questions at the centre of the dispute.
The Electoral Commission raised six preliminary objections in the Ssenyonyi petition, including questions over whether the petitioner had a valid cause of action, whether he had legal standing and whether the respondents had been properly sued.
The court also handled a separate petition involving Nakawa East MP Frederick Ruhindi, where the admissibility of documentary evidence was among the issues raised.
Justice Flavia Nabakooza separately heard a petition concerning election materials, including Declaration of Results forms, with the petitioner seeking access to documents said to have been electronically transmitted from a district tally centre. Meanwhile, another prominent case has been filed by National Unity Platform Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya challenging the election of Kampala Central MP Minsa Kabanda. Pretrial scheduling is continuing as the judges address preliminary matters before the full hearings of the petitions begin.
