The Soroti High Court has closed an election petition challenging the election of Soroti City Woman Member of Parliament Joan Alobo Acom after the petitioner, Sarah Inachu, withdrew the case.
The petition, filed by Inachu, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer in the 2026 parliamentary elections, was formally withdrawn during proceedings before Justice Boniface Wamala.
Counsel Richard Okalang, representing the petitioner, presented the application for withdrawal of the petition, which had been filed on April 21, 2026. He informed court that the withdrawal was being sought without costs, with each party meeting its own legal expenses.
Okalang told court that the decision was made in the interest of reconciliation, healing and the wider interests of the people of Soroti City.
“We want the applicant to demonstrate that the decision to withdraw the case is voluntary and that she has neither been corrupted nor coerced. The decision is due to public interest and the purpose of reconciliation,” Okalang submitted.
He said the withdrawal reflected honesty on the part of the petitioner and that the request for each party to bear its own costs should not be interpreted as a favour extended to either side.
“The spirit of withdrawing the election petition is being honest, and the issue of no costs is not an issue of thanking the petitioner,” he added.
However, the proposal to withdraw the petition without costs was opposed by Counsel Francis Gimara, who represented Alobo, the first respondent.
Although Gimara said his client had no objection to the withdrawal of the petition itself, he argued that the petitioner should be ordered to pay the legal costs incurred while defending the case.
“We were not served by the respondent but only received the court notice. However, we do not object to the withdrawal of the case by the applicant,” Gimara told court.
He argued that his legal team had invested considerable time, effort and resources in defending the petition, including preparing affidavits, filing a response, conducting consultations and attending court proceedings.
Gimara also cited Section 65(4) of the Parliamentary Elections Act and Rule 94 of the Parliamentary Elections (Election Petitions) Rules, which provide that where an election petition is withdrawn, the petitioner should pay the respondent’s costs.
Following the submissions, Justice Wamala adjourned proceedings for five minutes to allow both parties to consult and attempt to reach a settlement on the issue of costs.
When court resumed, lawyers for both parties informed the judge that they had reached an agreement for the petition to be withdrawn without costs.
In his ruling, Justice Wamala noted that although the law generally provides for costs to be awarded when an election petition is withdrawn, the circumstances of the case warranted a different approach.
“Further consultations were made under Section 7 of the Election Petitions Act regarding the position of the second respondent, where costs have in most cases applied. However, due to the nature of this case, where the two parties have both come to a mutual consensus, this has evoked the spirit of unity, reconciliation and social cohesion. I therefore close the case with no costs,” Justice Wamala ruled.
The decision formally ended the legal challenge against Alobo’s election and reaffirmed her position as the duly elected Soroti City Woman Member of Parliament.
Alobo was represented by a team of advocates from Gimara Advocates, Isodo & Company Advocates, and JLB & Company Advocates.
The withdrawal concludes months of legal proceedings arising from the 2026 general elections and removes the final legal challenge surrounding the Soroti City Woman MP contest.
The parties’ decision to end the dispute through consensus marked a conciliatory conclusion to a politically contested election matter, with reconciliation and social cohesion taking precedence over prolonged litigation.
