Dr Hilderman loses application to unseal ballot boxes in petition against Amelia Kyambadde
In a ruling delivered by the presiding judge, Jamson Karemani, on Wednesday (September 16), the application was dismissed. Kiyaga had requested, among other things, that the Electoral Commission be ordered to bring ballot boxes to court to be opened in the presence of the Registrar.
Hillary Innocent Kiyaga, also known as Dr Hilderman and Ann Amelia Kyambadde. (File)
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The High Court in Mpigi has dismissed an application filed by former Mawokota North legislator, Hillary Innocent Kiyaga, also known as Dr Hilderman, which sought to compel the Electoral Commission to release several vital election documents.
In a ruling delivered by the presiding judge, Jamson Karemani, on Wednesday (September 16), the application was dismissed.
Kiyaga had requested, among other things, that the Electoral Commission be ordered to bring ballot boxes to court to be opened in the presence of the Registrar.
Kiyaga, a former friend of the incumbent, Ann Amelia Kyambadde, contested on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket in the January 15, 2026, elections and lost to Kyambadde, the former Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. Kyambadde stood on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket.
The dismissed application was part of Kiyaga's larger petition in which he is seeking access to specific documents to support his claims of electoral malpractice.
Through his legal team, comprising lawyers from Ssebowa and Company Advocates and Lukwago and Company Advocates, Kiyaga sought the discovery and production of certified true copies of the official report book, the list of presiding officers, and accountability of ballot paper forms for several parishes and wards.
Furthermore, he requested the original Declaration of Results (DR) forms that were sealed in the ballot boxes used at numerous polling stations across the Mawokota North constituency.
The applicant contended that these documents were essential to his petition, which centres on allegations of illegal alteration, falsification, and manipulation of DR forms.
The applicant’s core argument was that the DR forms used by the returning officer to declare Kyambadde as the winner differed from the forms held by the applicant’s own agents, a discrepancy that he argued was decisive to the petition.
The Electoral Commission, represented by lawyer Samuel Sserwanga, vehemently opposed the application, describing it as a frivolous attempt to waste judicial time. He asked the court to dismiss the application with costs.
After listening to both sides, Justice Karemani dismissed the application with costs.
The judge found that the applicant failed to specify the precise polling stations for several parishes mentioned in the application, making the request for information broad and unclear.
However, the judge fixed September 21, 2026, as the date on which the hearing of the main election petition will officially commence.