Court Orders Odonga-Otto to Pay UGX 22M

The High Court sitting in Agago District has ordered former Aruu County Member of Parliament Samuel Odonga-Otto to pay more than Shillings 22 million in legal costs to incumbent MP Christopher Komakech and the Electoral Commission of Uganda following a long-running election dispute stemming from the 2021 parliamentary polls.

The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, arose from taxation proceedings conducted by Deputy Registrar Betty Ajok. The proceedings were aimed at enforcing an earlier Court of Appeal of Uganda decision that awarded costs to Komakech and the Electoral Commission after overturning a High Court ruling that had nullified Komakech’s election victory.

According to Komakech’s lawyer, Samuel Okeny, the taxed costs amount to Shillings 22,452,000. This includes Shillings 15 million in instruction fees and approximately Shillings 7 million for transport and related expenses. “We shall sit down and write to him on the payment modalities since this is a court decision,” Okeny said.

He added that during the proceedings, Odonga-Otto requested lenient payment terms from the court. “He pleaded with the court for favorable terms of payment,” Okeny noted, warning that failure to comply could force the legal team to return to court as early as May 1, 2026, to enforce the ruling.

Journalists were reportedly denied access to the court premises during the proceedings on instructions from the Deputy Registrar. After the ruling, Odonga-Otto left the court without speaking to the media. The taxation process had previously stalled after the petitioner failed to appear during scheduled hearings, but the court later directed that the process proceed, culminating in the final award.

The dispute traces back to the January 14, 2021, parliamentary election in which Komakech defeated Odonga-Otto after polling 9,796 votes against 6,199. Following the loss, Odonga-Otto petitioned the court, arguing that Komakech had not properly resigned from Butabika National Referral Hospital before contesting for Parliament.

In 2021, High Court Judge Tadeo Asiimwe nullified Komakech’s victory. However, the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Stephen Musota, and Christopher Gashirabake, later overturned the decision, reinstated Komakech as the validly