The National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Esther Nakawooya has petitioned the High Court of Uganda sitting in Luweero, seeking to nullify the election of Sarah Najjuma of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) as the Woman Member of Parliament for Nakaseke District.
Nakawooya, who lost in the January 15, 2026 parliamentary election, filed the petition through Alaka and Co. Advocates, asking the court to cancel the election results and set aside Najjuma’s victory over alleged electoral irregularities.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday in Namusaale Village in Nakaseke District, Nakawooya said she decided to seek legal redress to defend the integrity of the electoral process.
“Transparency in elections is the foundation of good leadership and accountability. That is why I have decided to go to court to challenge the outcome of this election,” Nakawooya said.
According to results announced by Nakaseke District Returning Officer Aida Tusiime, Najjuma was declared the winner with 55,455 votes, while Nakawooya polled 26,873 votes.
However, Nakawooya claims that the Electoral Commission of Uganda later issued another return form on January 18, 2026, containing different figures indicating that Najjuma received 56,151 votes while she obtained 27,156 votes. The latter results were subsequently published in the Uganda Gazette on February 6, 2026.
“We believe the Electoral Commission officials in Nakaseke altered figures. When I went to pick certified copies of my returning forms, I found two different documents showing different results,” Nakawooya said.
She added that the existence of two separate return forms raises serious concerns about the credibility of the final tally.
“This raises serious questions about how the final results were arrived at and whether the will of the voters in Nakaseke was respected,” she noted.
In her petition, Nakawooya alleges that the election process was marred by irregularities in at least 98 out of the 328 polling stations across the district.
“In several polling stations, the number of votes exceeded the number of registered voters, and in other cases the figures on the declaration forms were changed,” Nakawooya stated.
She further claims that some polling stations recorded voter turnout close to 100 percent, despite the presence of deceased individuals on the voters’ register.
“In some polling stations we found names of people who passed away appearing on the voters’ register and being counted among those who voted, which raises serious concerns about the integrity of the register,” she said.
Nakawooya also alleges that votes she obtained at several polling stations were either drastically reduced or recorded as zero during tallying.
“At some polling stations where I had clearly won votes according to the Declaration of Results forms, those votes were either reduced significantly or recorded as zero during tallying by the returning officer,” she added.
Among the polling stations cited in the petition are Lumpewe Primary School, Lukese Modern, Timuna/Kafene, Kibose Primary School, Kyasampanga Town Council, and Magoma RC Primary School.
Nakawooya argues that the alleged irregularities undermined the credibility of the entire election and denied voters the opportunity to have their will reflected in the final outcome.
“The people of Nakaseke deserve a transparent and credible election. What we witnessed was a process that raises many unanswered questions,” she said.
In her petition, Nakawooya is asking the court to declare that Najjuma was not validly elected as the Woman Member of Parliament for Nakaseke District and that electoral offences were committed during the election.
She is also seeking an order setting aside the election results and requesting the respondents to pay the costs of the petition.
“The court is the rightful place to determine whether the electoral laws were followed and whether justice can be restored to the voters of Nakaseke,” Nakawooya said.
The High Court in Luweero is expected to set a hearing date for the petition to determine whether the election results will stand or be annulled.
