Former MP Akamba loses bid to return to parliament

What the report says

The High Court has dismissed an election petition by former MP Paul Akamba, upholding the victory of Waiswa Joel Azalwa as Busiki County MP. According to The Observer, Justice Patience Rubagumya delivered the ruling electronically on Tuesday and found that while there had been some non-compliance with electoral law at Budongo (A-I) Namutumba Primary School polling station, it was not enough to alter the overall result.

Akamba had argued that if votes from disputed polling stations were cancelled, he would have overtaken Azalwa. He also raised claims of ballot stuffing, multiple voting, violence, intimidation, abductions of polling agents, bribery and campaign poster defacement. The court examined witness affidavits, tally sheets and other records, but found that most of the allegations were not proved to the required standard.

The judgment noted that violence and disruption did occur at Budongo, where ballot papers were reportedly taken and election materials briefly removed before police intervened and voting resumed. However, the court said this affected only one of Busiki’s 194 polling stations and did not substantially affect the wider contest. Other claims tied to polling stations including Nalusolo Junction, Bukairu Mosque, Igerera C.O.U. and Bubalya Borehole were also rejected for lack of convincing evidence.

The court further dismissed the bribery claims, saying Akamba did not provide independent proof that Azalwa paid money to influence voters. With no statutory grounds established to overturn the poll, the petition was dismissed, Azalwa’s election was confirmed, and costs were awarded to him. The case highlights the high evidentiary threshold required in election disputes in Uganda.