Supreme Court Upholds M7 2026 Election Victory

The Supreme Court has declared and confirmed President Yower Kaguta Museveni as the duly elected president of Uganda, dismissing the presidential election petition filed by National Peasants Party former presidential aspirant Robert Kasibante.

On 5th February 2026, Kasibante filed an application seeking to withdraw his petition, citing the enormous legal costs involved in examining evidence and hiring experts to review and testify on the biometric voter verification (BVV) machines. The respondents, including the attorney general, Electoral Commission, and President Museveni, did not object to the withdrawal but requested that they be compensated for the costs incurred in preparing their defenses.

The Supreme Court, presided over by nine justices, allowed the withdrawal but saw a dissenting view on the issue of costs. Justices Dr. Flavian Zeija, Mike Chibita, Elizabeth Musoke, Percy Tuhaise, Muzamir Kibedi, Stephen Musota, Catherine Bamugemereire, Christopher Madrama, and Monica Mugenyi dismissed the petition, noting that Kasibante and his advisors had insufficient evidence and denying the withdrawal would serve no useful purpose.

Eight of the nine justices ruled against ordering Kasibante to pay costs, reasoning that doing so would impose an undue burden and not aid in national healing. Justice Christopher Madrama, however, dissented, arguing that presidential election matters should be taken seriously and that petitioners should not be allowed to withdraw casually without covering the respondents’ costs. Despite this, the majority decision prevailed, meaning Kasibante will not be required to pay any costs.

Kasibante, who came sixth in the presidential election, had petitioned the Supreme Court seeking to nullify President Museveni’s election, citing widespread electoral irregularities, violence, and non-compliance with electoral laws that he alleged affected the outcome.

Among his claims was the Electoral Commission’s failure to gazette 15,256 polling stations ahead of the election. He also alleged that the election period was marked by violence and intimidation, including harassment, teargas, and physical assaults against opposition candidates.

Kasibante accused President Museveni, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, of responsibility for the armed forces’ partisan conduct, which he claimed disrupted opposition rallies, issued unlawful directives to voters, and interfered with campaigning.

He further raised concerns about the BVV machines, asserting they were deployed without a proper legal framework, were unreliable, and were not independently audited or tested by candidates. Frequent malfunctions, he claimed, caused delays and manual verifications at polling stations.

Additional complaints included lack of transparency in vote counting, tallying, and transmission of results, citing altered declaration forms, discrepancies between polling station and district results, restricted access to tallying centers, and premature announcement of results. Kasibante also alleged that Museveni and his agents engaged in bribery, distributing money and gifts to voters and groups during the campaign.

Kasibante had therefore sought a declaration that President Museveni was not duly elected, the nullification of the election results, and an order for a fresh presidential election.