Court Allows Withdrawal of Petition Challenging Jim Muhwezi’s Election

The High Court in Rukungiri has granted former Rujumbura County parliamentary candidate Fred Turyamuhweza Tumuheirwe permission to withdraw his election petition challenging the victory of Security Minister Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Jim Muhwezi Katugugu.

Justice Susan Kanyange delivered the ruling on Tuesday evening, bringing to an end the legal challenge against Muhwezi’s election as Rujumbura County Member of Parliament. The court also awarded costs to the Electoral Commission. The ruling was delivered in the absence of Turyamuhweza and his lawyers, who neither appeared in court nor could be reached by telephone.

Turyamuhweza, who contested the January 15, 2026 general election on the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) ticket, had polled 23,307 votes against Muhwezi’s 25,005 votes. Independent candidate Gerald Karenzi Kooli received 285 votes, Simon Niwagaba (Independent) garnered 110 votes, while Hillary Tumuhimbise of the National Unity Platform (NUP) secured 252 votes.

In April, Turyamuhweza filed Election Petition No. 005 of 2026 against both Muhwezi and the Electoral Commission. Through M/S Ruyondo & Company Advocates, he alleged that Muhwezi committed several electoral offences, including bribing voters with cash and using security personnel to intimidate supporters of his opponents. He also accused the Electoral Commission of irregularities in the conduct of the election.

The petitioner asked the court to nullify Muhwezi’s election, order a fresh parliamentary election in Rujumbura County and compel both Muhwezi and the Electoral Commission to pay the costs of the case. However, after Muhwezi, through his lawyer Edgar Ayebazibwe of Mwesigwa Rukutana & Co. Advocates, filed his defence, Turyamuhweza applied to court for permission to withdraw the petition.

Following Tuesday’s ruling, Muhwezi welcomed the decision and praised his legal team for successfully defending the case. The latest court decision adds another chapter to the long-running political rivalry between Muhwezi and Turyamuhweza. In the 2016 general election, Turyamuhweza, then contesting on the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) ticket, defeated Muhwezi by polling 16,859 votes against Muhwezi’s 14,587.Muhwezi regained the Rujumbura County seat in the 2021 general election after securing 23,990 votes against Turyamuhweza’s 20,556 votes. Turyamuhweza challenged that result in the High Court in Kabale, but the petition was dismissed after the court found that he had failed to prove his allegations to the required legal standard, leaving Muhwezi’s election intact.