High court dismisses Odonga-Otto’s election petition

What the report says

The Ugandan High Court has dismissed an election petition by former Aruu County MP Samuel Odonga-Otto, leaving Christopher Komakech as the declared winner of the January 2026 parliamentary race. According to The Observer, Justice Fatuma Nanziri Bwanika delivered the ruling on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the High Court sitting in Patongo Town Council, Agago district.

The court found that Odonga-Otto had not proved that the alleged irregularities were serious enough to alter the result. Komakech, who ran on the National Resistance Movement ticket, was declared winner with 10,455 votes against Odonga-Otto’s 10,429, a margin that was central to the dispute. The judge also rejected the argument that the small difference by itself was enough to invalidate the election.

The case followed an earlier attempt by Odonga-Otto to seek a recount in the Pader Chief Magistrate’s Court, where he raised concerns about rejected ballots and the handling of voting equipment. The court inspected ballot boxes from six polling stations and found issues with seals and storage, but later concluded that the evidence did not show the defects changed the outcome. The High Court also noted that the returning officer had already declared the results before receiving the recount request.

The dispute is the latest chapter in a long-running contest between the two politicians. Background in the court record shows Komakech previously lost a similar challenge in 2021 before winning on appeal in 2022. In this case, costs were awarded to Komakech, while the Electoral Commission was not awarded costs because of the ballot-handling lapses identified by the court.