The High Court in Masaka has upheld the election of Ruth Katushabe as the Bukomansimbi District Woman Member of Parliament, dismissing an election petition filed by her rival and former legislator, Veronica Nanyonndo, over alleged electoral irregularities, falsification of results and forgery of signatures on election documents.
In a judgment delivered electronically this afternoon, Lady Justice Rosette Comfort Kania ruled that Nanyonndo had failed to present sufficient evidence to substantiate her allegations or demonstrate that the Electoral Commission had unlawfully altered the election results.
The ruling confirms the Electoral Commission’s declaration of Katushabe as the duly elected representative following a corrigendum published in the Uganda Gazette on February 13, 2026.
According to results presented before the court, Katushabe, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, garnered 23,481 votes against Nanyonndo of the National Unity Platform (NUP), who obtained 23,272 votes, giving Katushabe a narrow majority of 209 votes.
The electoral dispute stemmed from the Electoral Commission’s initial publication in the Uganda Gazette on February 6, 2026, which erroneously declared Nanyonndo the winner of the contest.
The Commission subsequently issued a corrigendum correcting the results and declaring Katushabe the duly elected Member of Parliament for Bukomansimbi District.
Dissatisfied with the reversal, Nanyonndo petitioned the court, arguing that the Electoral Commission had acted unlawfully by removing her name as the declared winner. She also challenged the conduct of the election, contending that it had not complied with the provisions of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
However, the court found that the petitioner had failed to establish the allegations, thereby upholding Katushabe’s election and affirming the Electoral Commission’s corrected declaration.
By Edith Namwanje
6th Nov 2026