Court Finds EC Tally Errors But Dismisses Donna Kapalaya’s Bundibugyo Election Petition

What the report says

The High Court in Fort Portal has dismissed an election petition filed by independent candidate Donna Kapalaya against Bundibugyo District Woman MP Josephine Bebona Babungi, while also finding that the Electoral Commission made significant tallying mistakes in the January 2026 contest. Justice Joanita Bushara upheld Bebona’s victory and said the irregularities shown in court were not enough to prove that they changed the final result or that Kapalaya had actually won more valid votes.

According to the Nile Post report, the dispute centered on differences between the results initially gazetted by the EC and a later certified reconciliation. The original figures gave Bebona 34,169 votes and Kapalaya 32,182, but the reconciliation reduced both totals, narrowing Bebona’s lead. During the hearing, Bebona admitted to 20-vote discrepancies at four polling stations in Bukubwunga Sub-county, and the court said these errors contributed to the litigation.

Kapalaya had argued that similar deductions and additions affected many more stations, but the judge declined to extend the proven errors across all the polling stations in question. The court also rejected claims of bribery, intimidation and undue influence. Although the petition failed, the judge ordered Bebona’s legal costs to be shared between Kapalaya and the EC, underscoring the court’s view that the election dispute was largely caused by the commission’s tallying inaccuracies.