Court Dismisses Kataabu’s Petition Against Salim Uhuru’s Kampala Central Victory

What the report says

The High Court in Kampala has dismissed a petition by National Unity Platform candidate Moses Kataabu challenging Salim Saad Uhuru’s win in the Kampala Central Division mayoral race, saying the case was filed after the deadline set by law. The ruling, delivered by Justice Flavia Nabakooza, means the National Resistance Movement candidate’s election remains in force for now.

According to Nile Post, Kataabu had sought to overturn the result of the January 27 mayoral election, in which Uhuru was declared the winner with 32,769 votes against Kataabu’s 9,090. The article says the petition also named the Electoral Commission and raised allegations of irregularities, including violence, but the court did not examine those claims in detail because it found the filing was out of time.

The judge did not award costs to either side and advised Kataabu to pursue an appeal if he wished to continue the dispute. Kataabu and his lawyers said they intended to appeal, arguing that they were not given a proper chance to present evidence. The reported decision is procedural rather than a finding on whether the election allegations were true, so it leaves the substance of the dispute unresolved.

The case is part of a wider pattern of election petitions in Uganda, where court rulings often turn on filing rules, evidence, and deadlines as much as on the contested vote itself.