MASAKA — The High Court in Masaka has set timelines for the hearing of an election petition in which Hajj Muhammad Kateregga is challenging the victory of NRM’s Salim Kisekka in the Bukomansimbi North parliamentary election.
Kateregga is asking the court to nullify Kisekka’s election and declare him the rightful winner, citing alleged violence, ballot stuffing and other electoral irregularities during the January 2026 elections.
The petition is being heard by Justice Joyce Kavuma, who has directed the parties to file their written submissions and rejoinders by October 23. The court will deliver its ruling on November 9, on notice.
The development follows the dismissal of an application by Kateregga, through his lawyer Asuman Basalirwa, seeking an order compelling the Electoral Commission to produce declaration of results forms and other electoral materials used to declare Kisekka the winner.
Justice Kavuma advised the petitioner to proceed with the hearing of the petition, noting the limited time within which election petitions are required to be determined.
Speaking to journalists after the court session, Kisekka maintained that he won the election fairly and expressed confidence in the judicial process.
“I won the election, but people could not believe that we could win the election. In the same way we believe victory is on our side as members of the ruling party NRM, we are ready for the trial and we believe we shall emerge the winner once again,” Kisekka said.
Basalirwa said the dismissal of their application would not weaken Kateregga’s case, arguing that they had other evidence to demonstrate the alleged irregularities.
“We wanted the Electoral Commission to give us declaration of results forms, registers and other materials, and the court, in its wisdom, saw that it could take a lot of time. But we have evidence that can help us make our case even without those materials that we wanted,” Basalirwa said.
He added that the petitioners would rely on evidence relating to alleged violence, ballot stuffing and discrepancies in the number of votes recorded at some polling stations compared with the number of registered voters.
Basalirwa said the evidence would be presented during the hearing to demonstrate that the election was affected by what he described as gross irregularities.
Kateregga, meanwhile, said he was seeking to be declared the winner rather than have the constituency return to the polls.
“I won the election, and we have all the proof which my lawyers will present to court when the case starts. We don’t want to waste time and money going back to an election because the irregularities that stained this election were visible to all people,” Kateregga said.
The petition will now proceed to its substantive hearing, with both sides expected to present their evidence before the court makes its determination.
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