Mao’s election as MP challenged in Gulu court

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Justice minister Norbert Mao’s recent election as Laroo-Pece Division MP has been challenged in the Gulu High Court by former contestant Tonny Kitara.

Mao, who contested under the Democratic Party ticket in the January 15 general election, garnered 7,359 votes, defeating the incumbent Fr Charles Onen, who got 5,562 votes.

The race also had six other candidates, including Kitara of the National Resistance Movement party, who came third with 2,867 votes.

Kitara, a lawyer, has now dragged both Mao and the Electoral Commission to court.

“Take notice that Kitara Tonny has filed a petition against you in court. You are hereby required to file an answer within 10 days after the petition has been served on you,” the court’s deputy registrar, Ebong George, told Mao in a notice of presentation of petition, dated April 1, 2026.

“Should you fail to file the answer on or before the date above-mentioned, the petitioner may proceed with the petition, which may be determined in your absence,” the deputy registrar added.

Mao’s win saw the Democratic Party emerge as the strongest opposition political party in the Acholi sub-region after winning five parliamentary seats.

He is among five people challenging the incumbent Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, who has already been endorsed by the NRM’s Central Executive Committee, the party’s top organ, for a new term alongside her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa.