The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal has officially launched the process of hearing complaints arising from the recently concluded party primaries.
The sessions are being conducted in a large tented venue, where eight separate panels are working concurrently to address the numerous disputes.
Headed by senior lawyer John Musiime, the Tribunal operates as a quasi-judicial body, with each panel comprising three members tasked with making determinations on various petitions.
The panels are chaired by distinguished legal professionals drawn from different regions, supported by prominent figures familiar within political and legal circles.
Among those leading the sessions are legal experts Anthony Bazira, Tony Tumukunde, and Joshua Byamazima.
Tribunal Chairperson Musiime is also directly overseeing one of the panels. Once individual panels make rulings, their decisions will be reviewed collectively by the full Tribunal before any final verdicts are endorsed.
The Tribunal has been assigned to handle at least 381 petitions, with the goal of delivering decisions by September 1, 2025.
Some petitioners are represented by high-profile lawyers such as Mukasa Mbidde and Evans Ochieng, reflecting the high stakes of the internal party contest.
At the venue, a clerk stationed at the entrance to the waiting area reads out the names of individuals scheduled to appear before the panels.
The space is separated by plywood walls that divide the hearing sections from the waiting tent, where dozens of hopeful petitioners await their turn.
Several of the petitions detail serious claims of electoral malpractice, including voter bribery, intimidation, falsification of declaration forms, and cases of multiple voting where individuals allegedly moved between villages to cast ballots repeatedly.
English 