Legal drama unfolded at the High Court in Kampala on Tuesday as the hearing into the Kawempe North parliamentary petition entered a tense new phase.
Lawyers representing National Unity Platform (NUP) MP Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola called for the dismissal of key portions of the evidence presented by Faridah Nambi Kigongo, the ruling NRM party’s candidate, describing it as hearsay.
Nambi, who filed the petition seeking to overturn Nalukoola’s March 13 election victory, took the stand as the first witness in her case.
Under oath, she alleged that more than 16,000 of her votes were not counted — votes she claimed originated from her support bases.
“These votes came from areas where I had strong support,” Nambi told court. “My agents informed me of what transpired, including violence and irregularities in over 14 polling stations.”
But her explanation came under intense scrutiny during cross-examination. Nalukoola’s legal team, led by Ahmed Mbabazi, questioned the credibility of her claims, arguing that she had no first-hand knowledge of the incidents and was merely relaying what she had been told.
“You cannot come to court and expect to overturn an election on third-party claims,” Mbabazi told court.
“The law requires evidence grounded in fact, not speculation or hearsay.”
Pressed on how she arrived at the 16,000 figure, Nambi conceded that she had relied on reports from her agents and legal team, since she could not be present at all polling stations.
The hearing briefly paused for over 30 minutes as Nambi’s lawyers asked the court for a calculator to help verify the figures she had mentioned.
The delay, however, appeared only to reinforce concerns about the accuracy of her evidence.
After the session, Nalukoola’s other lawyer, Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, told reporters that the defence was confident the case was collapsing under its own weight.
“We believe we’ve already made our case,” Muyizzi said. “If the petitioner cannot defend her evidence under cross-examination, the law is clear — such testimony should be struck out.”
But Nambi’s legal team dismissed any suggestion that their case was weakening. Advocate Ahmed Kalule, speaking on her behalf, accused the defence of theatrics.
“We have not lost anything. The defence is simply playing to the gallery. We remain focused on exposing the truth and ensuring this election is nullified,” Kalule said.
The court will resume tomorrow, with Nalukoola’s lawyers expected to cross-examine five more witnesses from the petitioner’s side as they seek to discredit the evidence and have the case thrown out.
The petition arises from the March 2025 by-election in which Nalukoola was declared winner with 17,939 votes.
Nambi has challenged the result, citing alleged voter bribery, violence, and widespread irregularities.
As proceedings continue, the fate of the Kawempe North parliamentary seat remains undecided. But for now, the momentum appears to be tilting in favour of the embattled MP.
