Court sets November 13 judgment date in Mawokota North election petition

MPIGI- The High Court in Mpigi on Wednesday resumed hearing the Mawokota North election petition, with Amelia Anne Kyambadde and former Mpigi District returning officer Evarist Twinomujuni facing hours of cross-examination by the petitioner's lawyers.

 Presiding Judge Justice Karemani while hearing this petition on its last day, said the court will deliver its judgment on November 13, 2026.

Justice Karemani gave both sides up to October 14th to tender in their written submissions before he gives his final judgement on November 13th which will be via email.

The petition Election Petition No. 01 of 2026 was filed by Hillary Innocent Kiyaga, who is challenging Kyambadde's election as Member of Parliament for Mawokota North.

On the last day of hearing, court first heard from Sam Akol, an NRM member who contested as an independent after losing the party primary elections to her rival Amelia Kyambadde. 

He took the witness stand and was cross-examined by Kyambadde's lawyer, Anthony Bazira on several allegations he made in his affidavit in support of the petition 

Asked whether he had complained about the results, in writing or otherwise, Akol said he had not done so and that he only was disappointed that he did not win.

He said that because he did not win, he had no grounds to go to court, and that he had not seen the changes to the figures on the forms Kiyaga obtained apart from seeing them on social media.

" My Lord,I only learnt about the altered DR forms on social media but personally,  I have not seen them all given any altered declaration of result forms by the Electoral Commission " Akol told court 

Kiyaga, the lead petitioner, in his petition told the court that the Declaration of Results (DR) forms he obtained did not match  the certified copies which the Electoral Commission filed in court.

Kyambadde on the stand

Kyambadde, the first respondent, took the witness stand in dock at about 10:00am and was cross-examined for hours by Kiyaga's lawyers on the alleged alteration of results and on whether she resigned as Presidential Advisor before contesting in the January general elections in the position of Member of Parliament for Mawokota North constituency.

Kiyaga, with his enthusiastic supporters, after court

Kiyaga's lawyer, Francis Ssebowa of Ssebowa and Company Advocates, asked her to explain whether she formally submitted a resignation letter and whether the Electoral Commission accepted it. 

 
The petitioner's legal team argued that despite her claims that she resigned her position of Presidential Advisor, she never attached any evidence including resignation letter to her affidavit, last payment and that she remained in possession of State House security details, Medard Ssegona, one of the petitioner's lawyers put it to her that she did not attach any evidence that she existed the public office 

Kyambadde the first respondent in this petition maintained that said she had fully resigned her role as the Presidential advisor on trade and industry and that the Permanent Secretary in the President's Office had written to  her accepting her resignation 

Lawyer Medard Lubega Ssegona asked why, if she had left office, she still had military guards assigned to State House officials and  Kyambadde said she had had guards for the past 35 years and that it is not true that they were assigned to her when she was appointed as a Presidential Advisor 

She acknowledged that the DR forms before the court had been altered and  she was told the changes were collections of  errors made by election officials at polling stations.

 She denied that the changes were meant ti benefit her so that she could be declared winner, as Ssegona put it to the court and instead said she wasn't the one Presiding over elections 

Returning officer denies collusion

Former District returning officer, Evarist Twinomujuni,  was the last person to be cross-examined and took the witness stand at around 2:20pm 

Kiyaga's legal team accused Twinomujuni of colluding to alter DR forms and change vote tallies at 40 polling stations but he denied this.

Under questioning from the team led by Ssegona, Twinomujuni agreed the forms had alterations but said Presiding officers at those mentioned polling stations did so to collect mistakes made while filling them in. 

He rejected the claim that the changes were meant to benefit Kyambadde alone and  showed the court various DR forms, including some from Kiyaga's own polling station where he said votes tallies had been collected by presiding officers and were in favour of the petitioner.

He also dismissed the petitioner's argument that Kiyaga's agents had not signed the forms the Commission certified, saying it has no basis in law and wasn't mandatory for them to sign 

Twinomujuni was also questioned about the discrepancies allegedly on the DR forms of the certified copies from the Electoral Commission and those of the petitioner especially in barcodes and how one Presiding officer named as Sharifa Nalubega managed to preside over elections on two different polling stations in the same time and he said he had no knowledge of where the petitioner got his DR forms he attached to his petition and maintained that as the Electoral Commission official, he was only accountable to the certified copies from Electoral Commission. 

Lawyer, Medard Lubega Ssegona,  questioned Evarist Twinomujuni,  why he left the office of the returning officer after Presiding over the disputed election and whether the promotion he received in the Electoral Commission was in anyway connected to the work he did in Mawokota North parliamentary elections and he said he has worked with the Electoral Commission for 15 years and that it may be simply because he was seen as the good worker. 

Written submissions

After hearing witnesses and submissions from both sides, Justice Karemani gave all parties up to October 14th to file written final submissions and said judgment would follow on November 13th and will be sent directly to the emails.

After the session, both sides spoke to journalists, each expressing confidence that they are the favorites to win this case.