Balyeku Fails to Eat Into Dr Batuwa’s Victory as Court Throws Out Petition

What the report says

A High Court in Jinja has dismissed an election petition filed by Moses Grace Balyeku challenging the victory of Jinja South West MP Timothy Batuwa Lusala, the Nile Post reported. The ruling ended a legal dispute over the parliamentary seat and allowed Batuwa, who contested on the National Unity Platform ticket, to keep the mandate he won at the polls.

According to the report, Justice Vincent Wagona delivered the judgment on Thursday, November 5, 2026, and ordered Balyeku to pay costs. The court found that Balyeku had not shown that the alleged electoral irregularities were serious enough to change the outcome of the election. The published figures showed Batuwa won with 4,900 votes, while Balyeku received 3,083, leaving a margin of 1,817 votes.

Following the decision, Batuwa said the outcome affirmed truth and justice, and he credited his supporters, family, witnesses and lawyers for standing by him during the case. He also said he would now turn his attention to serving constituents and delivering on campaign commitments.

More broadly, election petitions are a common feature of Uganda’s contested parliamentary races, where losing candidates can ask court to review the process and results. In this case, the dismissal removes a challenge that had hung over Batuwa’s tenure and confirms his position in Parliament, at least for now.