Minister Namuganza Retains Her Seat

The High Court in Iganga has upheld the election of Princess Persis  Namuganza as the directly elected Member of Parliament for Bukono County in Namutumba District after dismissing a petition challenging her victory in the January 15, 2026 polls.

In a judgment delivered on Friday , Justice Patience Rubagumya ruled that petitioner Emmanuel Maganda Katoko had failed to demonstrate that the alleged electoral offences and irregularities substantially affected the outcome of the election.

The court consequently dismissed the petition, confirmed Namuganza’s election and ordered Maganda to pay the costs of the case.

Namuganza secured 15,696 votes against Maganda’s 14,431, winning the contest by a margin of 1,265 votes. Five other candidates also contested the parliamentary seat.

Maganda had asked the court to nullify the results, accusing the Electoral Commission of failing to properly manage the electoral process and allowing practices that allegedly favoured the incumbent.

Among his complaints were alleged ballot stuffing, multiple voting, discrepancies in the declaration of results and unusually  100 percent high voter turnout figures recorded at some polling stations yet some voters had died and others migrated from the constituency.

He also accused election officials of failing to prevent malpractice and claimed that figures declared at certain polling stations differed from those captured in the official results documents.

Namuganza who was elected on Independent ticket after losing the NRM primaries and the Electoral Commission rejected the accusations, maintaining that the election had been conducted in accordance with the law.

In assessing the evidence, Justice Rubagumya acknowledged that some irregularities had occurred during the election but found that they were not sufficient to overturn the results.

The court identified mathematical inconsistencies in some Declaration of Results Forms. However, the judge noted that the discrepancies were addressed during tallying and did not alter the final outcome.

The judgment also establishes that violence occurred at Namakoko Catholic Church, Gasani SDA Church and Kitaigalwa Mosque polling stations.

Justice Rubagumya faulted the Electoral Commission for failing to maintain peace and order at the affected polling stations, contrary to its responsibilities under electoral law.

Nevertheless, she arrived at a conclusion that the incidents were not sufficiently significant to invalidate the election.

Maganda also accused Namuganza of engaging in voter bribery through cash payments and distribution of assorted gifts during the campaign period.

The petition cited an alleged payment of 15,000 shillings to individual youth leaders during a meeting at Kibaale Primary School on December 24, 2025.

It further alleged that money was distributed to youth SACCO groups at Agape Secondary School on January 7, 2026.

Another allegation concerned women who reportedly visited Namuganza’s residence on January 12, 2026, where they allegedly received kitengye fabric, sugar, hoes and money to influence their voting decision into her favour. 

However, the judge has found that the petitioner had not presented adequate evidence linking Namuganza or her agents to the alleged distribution of money and gifts intended to influence voters.

The court also observed that the evidence did not sufficiently establish that the alleged recipients were registered voters. Consequently, the bribery accusations were not proved.

The court further rejected claims that Namuganza had made false statements about Maganda’s character with the intention of undermining his chances of winning the election.

Justice Rubagumya said the statements cited in the petition had not been properly pleaded and were not supported by sufficient evidence.

Maganda’s claims that his polling agents and supervisors had been unlawfully detained also failed, with the judge finding that the allegations lacked convincing and independent evidence.

In her final determination, Justice Rubagumya held that the petitioner had not established any of the grounds under Section 80(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act that would justify setting aside Namuganza’s election.

The judge accordingly dismissed the petition, upheld Namuganza’s victory and awarded her costs arising from the case.

Namuganza is a State Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development.