The High Court will officially begin hearing election petitions arising from Uganda’s 2026 General Elections on September 14, with designated judges directed to give the cases priority and work towards concluding the exercise by November 13, 2026.
The directive is contained in Administrative Circular No. 5 of 2026, issued on September 2 by Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo to all judges assigned to handle election-related disputes.
The circular comes as a number of election petitions remain pending before the High Court following the 2026 General Elections. Some judges have been temporarily deployed to various High Court Circuits and the Civil Division specifically to handle the cases.
Under the new programme, judges assigned to the petitions have been instructed to report to their respective stations of deployment and focus their attention on the hearing and disposal of the election cases.
Election petitions will take precedence over other judicial matters during the period of the assignment, with judges required to set aside their ordinary duties to ensure the disputes are handled without unnecessary delay.
The Principal Judge said the temporary deployment of judicial officers was intended to facilitate the expeditious handling and disposal of the petitions, warning against commitments that could interfere with the hearing schedule.
The Judiciary has also confirmed that funds to support the exercise have already been released to the respective registries. The registries will work directly with the designated judges to make the necessary logistical and administrative arrangements for their deployment and the conduct of the hearings.
Any challenge at registry level that could affect the timely commencement or progress of the exercise is expected to be brought promptly to the attention of the Principal Judge’s Chambers.
Although the law prescribes timelines within which election petitions should be heard and determined under the Parliamentary Elections Act and the Local Governments Act, the Judiciary acknowledged that some of the prescribed periods have already elapsed.
According to the circular, an earlier programme for handling the petitions could not proceed as planned because funds were unavailable at the time.
However, the Principal Judge clarified that the expiry of the prescribed period does not automatically remove the jurisdiction of the court to hear a matter properly before it.
She noted that the statutory timelines governing the determination of election petitions are directive rather than jurisdictional, meaning that the lapse of the prescribed period does not, on its own, prevent the court from hearing and determining pending petitions or automatically invalidate a subsequent judgment.
The clarification is expected to provide direction on the handling of outstanding petitions while underlining the need for their speedy conclusion.
Judges have been instructed to adopt firm case management measures, including promptly fixing matters for hearing and, where possible, hearing cases on consecutive days.
Unnecessary adjournments are to be avoided, while interlocutory applications are expected to be dealt with expeditiously. Judges have also been directed to strictly enforce court directions and make full use of every available hearing day.
The circular further requires close coordination between judges and registrars to ensure that service of documents, preparation of records, transmission of files and other administrative processes are handled promptly.
The Judiciary is also preparing to support judges who may not yet be operating under the Electronic Court Case Management Information System, commonly known as ECCMIS.
The Principal Judge acknowledged that some of the judges designated to handle the petitions come from courts that are not yet operating on ECCMIS, while others may have limited experience using the system.
Arrangements are therefore being made to create ECCMIS accounts for all judges who require them, with training and practical orientation to be provided to ensure the system can be used effectively throughout the election petition exercise.
Technical and administrative teams will also be available to support the judges during the process.
Recognising the demanding nature of election litigation, Abodo also urged judicial officers to pay attention to their wellbeing.
She noted that election petitions often involve long working hours, heavy workloads, intense public interest and considerable pressure, and encouraged judges to take reasonable care of themselves, rest where possible and support one another.
The Principal Judge said the Judiciary must handle the assignment efficiently while ensuring that judicial officers remain physically and mentally prepared to give the matters the attention and clarity of mind they require.
She stressed that any logistical, technical or administrative challenge likely to affect the progress of a petition should first be reported to the relevant registrar and, where necessary, promptly escalated to her Chambers.
Describing the assignment as a significant test for the High Court, Abodo said the public expects election disputes to be handled fairly, independently and efficiently.
“When it matters, the High Court shows up,” she said in the circular, expressing confidence that the judges assigned to the exercise would approach the task with the commitment, discipline and urgency required.
The hearing of the election petitions will run from September 14 to November 13, 2026, as the Judiciary moves to clear the outstanding disputes arising from the 2026 General Elections.
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