Court Finds Mufumbiro’s Agents Signed Disputed Election Forms Without Complaints

What the report says

The High Court in Uganda has cast doubt on election-tampering claims raised by National Unity Platform deputy spokesperson Waiswa Mufumbiro in his petition challenging the election of Fredric Ruhindi as Nakawa East Member of Parliament. According to Nile Post, Justice Allan Nshimye said the evidence did not clearly support the allegation that declaration of results forms had been altered at polling stations.

The judge noted that several polling agents linked to Mufumbiro had signed the disputed declaration forms, but only two of those agents were called as witnesses. Other agents who signed the documents did not provide affidavits or testify about any irregularities, which the court treated as significant when weighing the petition. The ruling referred to election records marked J1 to J12 and compared the signatures on those forms with the witnesses presented by the petitioner.

In examining the forms, the court said one declaration form from Kasasiro OMUZ polling station showed no visible alteration or cancellation, and the vote totals on the sheet matched the presiding officer’s recorded valid votes. Nile Post reported that the judge said this numerical consistency did not support the claim of tampering under the Parliamentary Elections Act.

The case is part of a broader challenge to the Nakawa East parliamentary result. More generally, election petitions often turn on whether documentary records and witness testimony can prove that alleged irregularities affected the final outcome.