Court allows Tumwebaze to serve Mawogola North petition through newspapers

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The High Court in Masaka has granted permission to Jet Tumwebaze, the petitioner in the Mawogola North Parliamentary election petition, to serve his opponent, the area MP-elect Godfrey Aine Kaguta, also known as Sodo, through newspapers.

This decision follows failed attempts to serve Kaguta Sodo personally.

The High Court senior resident judge, Victoria Nakintu, in her ruling dated April 8, 2026, said that Kaguta Sodo and the Ssembabule district returning officer, Gracious Aryeija, should be served through substituted notification.

“Such service shall be deemed good and sufficient service of the election petition No 010 of 2026 and the notice of presentation of the petition upon the respondents. It is in the interest of fairness and justice that the permission is granted,” she said.

On March 30, the petitioner filed an election petition at the High Court in Masaka seeking to set aside the election of Sodo as area MP-elect on grounds that include lack of academic credentials and voter intimidation, among other allegations.

The petition was filed by lawyer John Rutaro on behalf of Mawogola North parliamentary runner-up, Tumwebaze, an independent candidate.

"One of the lead grounds in the petition against Sodo is the academic credentials that we dispute. The certificate from UNEB that he presented has mismatched with what he presented," Rutaro said.

Other grounds include the involvement of the military, violence, bribery, and other irregularities affecting voters in the election process for Mawogola North. "The majority of the polling agents for Tumwebaze were rounded up, while others escaped the hostility. Some of them had to flee to save their lives," he added.

The petition calling for the nullification of Sodo's election victory has been supported by over 200 voters from Mawogola North.

In the elections conducted on January 15, 2026, Sodo received 15,123 votes, Tumwebaze 6,955, Angera Kigonya (DP) 374, and Ezra Twine (independent) 42.

Earlier, Sodo said he was ready to defend himself against allegations that he did not possess the required academic credentials to serve in parliament.

"Do not get worried about the academic petition filed by my opponent, counsel Jet Tumwebaze. He is just wasting our time. I went to the right schools," he said. Sodo attended Kyamate and Karo Secondary Schools before joining Bombo High School and later enrolled at Nkumba University.

New Vision reliably learnt that UNEB referred the matter to the schools where Sodo completed his secondary education for the petitioners to verify the academic transcripts presented for nominations when the Electoral Commission forwarded the controversy to UNEB for determination.

Sodo sailed through unopposed during the party primaries after the incumbent area MP, Shartsi Musherure, daughter of former foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa, pulled out of the 2026 elections.