Kassanda South NRM petitioner seeks elections tribunal clarification

Eria Mubiru, who contested in the July 17, 2025, National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries for the Kassanda South Constituency Member of  Parliament seat, has written to the party elections tribunal seeking clarification on the state of his petition.

Through his lawyers: Angualia Busiku and Co. Advocates, Mubiru cites that he was deeply concerned by recent developments in the regard to his petition, whose verdict has been delayed for over a month.

“Our client filed a petition before your tribunal challenging the declaration of Abdul Bisaso as the NRM flag-bearer for Kassanda South Constituency. The matter was duly heard by the tribunal panel. On August 8, 2025, we received communication from the tribunal indicating that a ruling in our client's matter was ready for collection.”

Lawyers add: “However, when we attended the tribunal offices, we were informed that the ruling was not yet ready and that further time was required.”

In the very constituency, five people challenged for the party endorsement ahead of the 2026 general elections: Mubiru, Simeo Nsubuga, Michael Muhumuza, Abdu Bisaso, and Godfrey Katumba.

However, the party district registrar, Henry Rukundo, declared Bisaso as the winner, a move widely protested by the supporters of Mubiru, who alleged that their victory had been cheated.

Mubiru filed a petition before the party elections tribunal challenging Bisaso’s victory while accusing the district party electoral officials of mismanaging the process.

However, since Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the supporters of Abdu Bisaso have been celebrating, alleging that their candidate had been cleared as the winner of the flag by the tribunal.

The supporters allegedly burst into celebrations after Bisaso shared a voice message on his social media platforms on Wednesday commending the tribunal for what he called “a thorough and brave ruling.”

On Thursday, Bisaso also shared a half page document with signatures of the three tribunal officials, which indicated that he had won the petition.

“The declaration of Abdu Bisaso as NRM flag bearer for Kassanda South Constituency is upheld,” the document signed by John Musiime as chairperson of the tribunal partly read.

Other officials who signed the document included Stanley Kangye as a member, Blair Atwebembeire, a member, and Elton Mugabi, a member.

Mubiru’s lawyers have, however, highlighted that on August 8, 2025, their client received an email from tribunal chairperson John Musilme stating that while rulings are ordinarily delivered within seven days of hearing in accordance with Regulation 43 of the NRM Election Regulations 2025, the ruling in their client's matter was not yet ready due to "reasons related to further investigations and inquiries" requiring "a longer period to ensure thorough and fair consideration of the petition."

“As of August 21, 2025, our client has been receiving audio messages wherein Mr Abdul Bisaso is informing the electorate of his declaration as flag-bearer by the tribunal. We note with grave concern,” lawyers added.

The lawyers cited discrepancies, including the purported ruling document dated August 7, 2025, which is one day before the Tribunal's email of August 8, 2025, stating that the ruling was not yet ready.

Eria Mubiru's supporters pray for him. (Credit: Luke Kagiri)

“This creates a contradictory situation where the tribunal was communicating that the ruling required further time for completion, while a ruling dated earlier was allegedly already in existence. If the ruling dated August 7, 2025, is genuine, it raises serious questions about why we were informed on August 8, 2025, that the ruling was not ready and why we have not been officially served with the same.”

They add that the circulation of audio messages by Bisaso claiming victory suggests that he may have had access to the ruling while “we”, as counsel for the petitioner, remain unaware of any official determination.

In the light of the above circumstances, the lawyers ‘respectfully’, requested that the tribunal clarify the official status of the ruling in their client's petition and confirm whether any ruling had been issued.

“If a ruling has been issued, provide us with an official copy of the same immediately, as we are entitled to receive the decision as counsel for the petitioner. Explain the discrepancy between the emails of August 8, 2025, stating the ruling was not ready and the purported ruling dated August 7, 2025,” lawyers add.

Call for investigation

They also demand an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the circulation of information about the alleged ruling outcome before official service to all parties.

“Ensure procedural fairness by confirming that all parties are served with the ruling simultaneously in accordance with established procedure. The integrity of the electoral dispute resolution process depends on transparency, fairness, and adherence to established procedures. The current situation creates confusion and raises concerns about the regularity of the proceedings,” advocates noted.

The NRM elections tribunal has since disposed of over 150 petitions from the parliamentary primaries, with a total of 426 petitions filed challenging the results of the ruling NRM parliamentary primaries.

The tribunal is still handling some petitions, with plans to wrap up the remaining parliamentary disputes soon.

While announcing the institution of the elections tribunal in mid-last month, President Yoweri Museveni assured justice to those cheated during the elections.

However, Mubiru’s supporters claimed that they were being made to doubt whether their candidate was granted justice due to the circumstances.

“It is the tribunal to come and save this situation because we are being told that the ruling is not yet out, yet our colleague is celebrating with a document where even the signatures do not match,” Francis Kabugo, one of Mubiru’s supporters, said.

However, efforts to secure a statement from the tribunal were fruitless as officials privy to the tribunal proceedings declined to comment on the matter.