Lawyers Seek Recusal of Judge Kinobe in Masaka Vote Recount Case

Lawyers ask Acting High Court Judge Simon Peter Kinobe to excuse himself from hearing the application for judicial review against the contested Masaka City Woman MP election vote recount.

National Unity Platform’s candidate for the MasakaDistrict Woman Member of Parliament, Rose Nalubowa, petitioned the High Court in Masaka,challenging the decisions leading to the recount of the Masaka City Woman MP votes and the declaration of NRM’s Justine Nameere as the winner.

The Revisionary Clause Number 1 of 2026 in the High Court was issued for purposes of revising the entire record of the Chief Magistrate and all orders arising from the same, including the one that declared Juustine Nameere as the winner of the election.

The hearing of the petition started this morning in Masaka with the Acting, Sion Peter Kinobe presiding over the matter.

The lawyers representing the applicant, Rose Nalubowa, who was the National Unity Platform-NUP candidate in the race, are challenging the independence of Judge Kinobe while hearing the matter brought to court.  

Alexander Lule Nkima, one of Nalubowa’s lawyers, indicates that, having participated in the 2021 NRM election primaries, it is most likely that he is biased against the opposition political parties, especially the NUP.    


‎ He added that ‎ prior to his appointment as a Judge, Kinobe was conducting himself as an NRM activist, who used to appear on public spaces such as Radio and TV stations, and during that time, he was antagonistic with the opposition parties, mainly the NUP.  

The judge, in an exchange with lawyers representing the NUP candidate, who wanted him to excuse himself from hearing the application. He insisted that time doesn’t take away bias.


The judge declined to set aside the hearing of the application, saying he is ready to proceed in whatever manner. He said it was not enough to say that has been previously associated with the ruling NRM. The lawyers still raised concerns about the impartiality of Judge Simon Peter Kinobe.