Kawempe North Member of Parliament Elias Nalukoola Luyimbazi has asked the High Court in Kampala to halt the ongoing hearing of an election petition filed against him by his rival Faridah Nambi Kigongo.
Through his legal team led by Counsel Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, Nalukoola on Friday requested the Court, presided over by Justice Benard Namanya, to suspend proceedings and grant them leave to appeal the judge’s decision restricting cross-examination in the case.
Justice Namanya earlier in the afternoon ruled that Nalukoola would only be allowed to cross-examine 10 of the 34 witnesses brought by Nambi.
The judge not only limited the number but also selected which witnesses Nalukoola could cross-examine.
Nalukoola’s legal team had initially requested permission to cross-examine all 34 witnesses, arguing that their testimonies were critical to the case.
They expressed concern that accepting unchallenged testimony from the remaining 24 witnesses could unfairly influence the outcome, especially since some individuals, according to the defense, were non-existent, lacked identification, or made false claims including allegations that Nalukoola committed electoral offenses such as bribery and campaigning on voting day.
Similarly, the Court permitted Nambi to cross-examine only six members of Nalukoola’s team, including the MP himself.
Nambi’s lawyers had also asked the Court to summon two Returning Officers from the Electoral Commission for cross-examination.
However, the Court declined, stating that the pleadings were already closed and the officers had not been listed in the original petition.
On March 13, 2025, the Electoral Commission declared Nalukoola of the opposition National Unity Platform the winner of the Kawempe North parliamentary election with 17,939 votes, defeating the ruling NRM candidate Nambi, who garnered 9,058 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Nambi petitioned the High Court seeking a fresh by-election, alleging widespread electoral malpractices, voter bribery, and irregularities that she claims affected the final results.
By Alex Magala
9th May 2025
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