Newly elected Kawempe North MP Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola has defended his recent electoral victory before the High Court in Kampala, responding to a legal challenge from his main opponent, Fridah Nambi Kigongo of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
In her petition, Nambi argues that the Electoral Commission (EC) failed to follow electoral laws by not returning results from 14 polling stations, thereby excluding votes from 16,640 registered voters. She claims this omission had a significant effect on the final result.
However, Nalukoola contends that the excluded results wouldn’t have changed the outcome. He argues that even with those votes added, his win would only have been further reinforced. He referenced data from the 83 polling stations counted by the EC, which showed a voter turnout of 14.4 percent. Nalukoola received 17,939 of the 28,252 valid votes cast (63.50 percent), while Nambi secured 9,058 votes (32.06 percent).
According to Nalukoola’s affidavit, the voting pattern clearly favored him, and the inclusion of the disputed polling stations would only increase his margin of victory.
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Responding to accusations of campaigning beyond the official timeline, Nalukoola maintained that his campaign ended on March 11, in line with EC regulations. He also denied any involvement in illegal activities before or during the election. “At no point did I engage in or endorse any illegal practices,” his affidavit states.
The Electoral Commission, in its defense, also refuted Nambi’s claims, stating the election was conducted fairly, transparently, and within the confines of the law. It said the results were tallied from verified polling stations, and all election materials are securely stored.
In support of the EC’s position, returning officer Henry Makabayi submitted an affidavit affirming that vote tallying was done publicly, in the presence of candidates, their agents, the police, and other observers.
Nambi, however, insists the election was fraught with serious irregularities, including campaigning on election day, obstruction of voters and electoral officials, and bribery. She accuses Nalukoola and his campaign team of chanting slogans such as “Ye nze Nalukoola” on election day, which she says contravenes electoral guidelines.
She also alleges that Nalukoola’s allies—Julius Mutebi, musician Mathias Walukagga, and MP Kiyaga Hillary (a.k.a. Dr. Hilderman)—interfered with the process at polling stations like Kazo Angola. Court documents suggest these individuals unlawfully accessed voter registers and issued instructions to EC officials, despite lacking proper authorization.
Nambi further criticizes the EC for not accounting for the 14 polling stations, arguing that this denied thousands of voters their right to participate and could have affected the final margin, which she claims was approximately 8,000 votes.
Through her legal team at MESSRS Crane Associated Advocates, Nambi is petitioning the court to annul Nalukoola’s election and order a new vote in Kawempe North. She also wants the court to declare that Nalukoola and his campaign team engaged in illegal activities and should be prosecuted. Additionally, she seeks to recover legal costs and any other relief the court deems appropriate.
The by-election, held on March 13, was marked by heavy security deployment and reported violence. Numerous opposition supporters and more than twenty journalists were allegedly arrested or assaulted by security forces during the election process.
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