Court Upholds NRM’s Nagaya Election as Jinja Mayor, Dismisses NUP Rival’s Petition

What the report says

The High Court in Jinja has upheld the election of Nagaya Abdulhafidh of the National Resistance Movement as Jinja City mayor, dismissing a petition brought by National Unity Platform candidate Kirunda Mubarak Edirisa over the January 2026 election. The case was heard by Justice Vincent Wagona, who said the irregularities raised in court were proven but not serious enough to overturn the result.

According to Nile Post, the dispute centered on tallying and declaration errors. Kirunda had argued that Nagaya’s vote total was inflated, that results from nine polling stations were left out, and that the process lacked transparency. The court found discrepancies between tally sheets and official declaration forms at two stations, with the returning officer acknowledging that some errors came from data-entry and typing mistakes by tally clerks.

The judge also examined the omitted polling stations and concluded that, even after corrections, Nagaya would still remain ahead. The original result showed Nagaya with 17,281 votes against Kirunda’s 15,821, a margin of 1,460. The ruling said the proven errors reduced but did not erase that lead, and therefore did not change the legal outcome.

The decision means Nagaya remains the validly elected mayor, as gazetted in April 2026. The court also ordered each side to meet its own legal costs, noting that Kirunda had succeeded in showing genuine administrative problems in the election process.