Uganda: Court Strikes Out 97 Affidavits in Rubongoya-Kabanda Election Petition

What the report says

A Ugandan court has struck out 97 affidavits from an election petition brought by opposition figure Rubongoya against Kabanda over the Kampala Central Division parliamentary race, according to Nile Post as distributed by AllAfrica. Justice Flavia Nabakooza ruled that the later affidavits were filed without leave of court and were therefore irregularly introduced. The case stems from the January 15, 2026 election, after which Kabanda was declared the winner and Rubongoya challenged the result.

The judge also removed one ground in the petition that focused on 23 polling stations in Nakasero II and Kololo II. The court said concerns about the polling-station locations should have been raised with the Electoral Commission before voting day, since the areas had already been identified in the voter register. That aspect was treated as a pre-election issue and struck out.

However, the court left in place other complaints about Kabanda’s nomination, academic qualifications and differences in her names. Nabakooza accepted Rubongoya’s argument that he could not realistically have brought those objections before the election because he received the relevant certified documents only after polling. The ruling means the petition will continue, but on a narrower set of claims and with the 97 affidavits removed from the record.

In broader terms, election petitions often turn on whether disputes should have been raised before an election or after results are declared. Here, the court’s decision narrows the challenge but does not end it, allowing the substantive case to move toward a scheduling conference and possible hearing.