BREAKING: High Court Rejects Kananura Bid to Amend Petition Against Musisi

What the report says

The High Court at Nabweru has dismissed NRM politician Daniel Kananura’s request to amend his election petition challenging the victory of NUP’s George Musisi as Kira Municipality MP, according to Nile Post. Justice George Okello said election petitions are governed by strict constitutional and statutory timelines, and that the law does not allow parliamentary petition amendments beyond those limits.

Kananura had argued that the changes were needed to ensure all issues were before court and would not create a new cause of action or unfairly prejudice the respondents. Musisi and the Electoral Commission opposed the bid, saying the amended filing came after the permitted period and raised new grounds not included in the original petition. The court sided with the respondents on the procedural question, relying on Supreme Court precedent about the special handling of election disputes.

In his ruling, Justice Okello said ordinary civil procedure rules could not be used to create an amendment process where the electoral law does not provide one. He also said the High Court lacked power under the Parliamentary Elections Act to extend time for filing or amending the petition. Kananura had filed the original petition on March 31, 2026, and the amended version on April 7, 2026. The court ordered him to pay half of the costs incurred by Musisi and the Electoral Commission. The broader significance is that the decision reinforces the tight procedural rules that govern election challenges in Uganda.