A group of National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters who contested the recent local government elections has accused the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court of mishandling their election petitions.
The petitioners, led by Mariam Namboozo and Devanensia Mahoro, said they were dissatisfied with the decisions delivered on October 29, 2026, arguing that alleged irregularities marred the proceedings and denied them a fair hearing.
Speaking to Bbeg Media in Muyenga, Kampala, Namboozo questioned the consistency of the magistrate’s decisions and raised concerns about the handling of information relating to their cases.
“We totally disagree with her judgment. There were irregularities encountered. Some of the information contained in the judgment was allegedly leaked to National Unity Platform (NUP) councillors,” Namboozo said.
However, the petitioners did not provide independent evidence to substantiate the allegations of information leaks or forgery.
Namboozo said the magistrate had recognised the court’s authority to hear her petition under Sections 150 and 151 of the Local Governments Act. She questioned why the same magistrate appeared to take a different position in a separate election petition filed by Mahoro.
She described the decisions, which were delivered on the same day, as contradictory and said the difference in the magistrate’s approach had raised questions about the fairness of the proceedings.
“It was very unfortunate that the same magistrate delivered these judgments on the same day, October 29,” Namboozo said.
Other petitioners who expressed disappointment included Harriet Atukunda of Nsambya Central, Apollo Kawalya of Makindye and Umar Kasumba of Ggaba.
Namboozo also represented areas including Katwe I, Katwe II and Katwe Railway. The petitioners said they were dissatisfied with how their election cases had been handled and questioned whether they had received a fair opportunity to present their grievances.
They further raised concerns about alleged corruption, the use of forged official stamps and possible unauthorised access to the court’s electronic information system.
They accused NUP councillors of being involved in the alleged disclosure of confidential court information, although the claims were not independently established.
The petitioners said these concerns had undermined their confidence in the court process and called for their complaints to be taken seriously.
Their concerns come amid changes in the Judiciary, which recently transferred magistrates within the Kampala region to handle election petitions arising from the recent local government elections.
The transfers were intended to facilitate the handling of election-related disputes.
The judiciary had not responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
