Kyofatogabye's election as Nakaseke Central MP challenged in court

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Kampala state minister Joseph Kyofatogabye Kabuye has had his Nakaseke Central parliamentary election victory challenged in court by his National Unity Platform (NUP) rival Allan Mayanja Ssebunya over alleged electoral malpractices.

Mayanja, who filed a petition at Luwero High Court on April 7, 2026, is seeking to overturn the results of the January 15, 2026, Nakaseke Central parliamentary election, in which Kyofatogabye was declared the winner.

According to official results issued by the Electoral Commission, Mayanja, the NUP flag bearer, scored 8,178 votes while Kyofatogabye garnered 13,678 votes.

However, Mayanja, in his petition, is disputing the results and asking the High Court to instead declare him the rightful winner.

Mayanja contends that the electoral process was marred by malpractices and that the Electoral Commission failed to correctly tally and announce votes at 31 polling stations in the constituency.

To support his claims, Ssebunya, who was seeking a second term as Nakaseke Central MP, lists Kyasampanga, Magoma Primary School (NAK-Z), Wakayamba, Ntalajji, Katooke, Masgid Taqwa Nakkonge, Mijumwa, Balitta, Butalangu Kisaawe, Nabisojjo, Kagango-Kiswagga, Bwami and Kyaluweesi as some of the polling stations where votes were allegedly improperly tallied.

The former NUP candidate claims in his petition that the results from these polling stations were altered in favour of Kyofatogabye before he was declared the winner.

In one instance at Kyasampanga polling station, Mayanja says his NRM opponent allegedly obtained 108 votes but was declared the winner with 360 votes. The petitioner avers that he had originally been declared the winner at that polling station with 200 votes in his favour.

Mayanja further claims that at Wakayamba polling station, he won with 149 votes while Kyofatogabye got 92 votes, but the minister’s tally was allegedly altered to 300 votes.

He also states that at Ntalajji polling station, he obtained 166 votes while Kyofatogabye reportedly got 91 votes, but the latter’s results were allegedly altered to 260 votes.

Mayanja also cites the Katooke polling station, where he says both candidates scored 112 votes, but Kyofatogabye’s results were allegedly increased to 212 votes.

The petitioner further alleges irregularities at Masjid Taqwa Nakkonge and Butalangu polling stations, where he says the number of voters exceeded the number of registered voters.

Mayanja states that Masjid Taqwa officially has 167 registered voters, yet 194 votes were cast on polling day. Similarly, he claims that 350 female voters cast ballots at Butalangu Kisaawe polling station despite the station having 249 registered female voters.

According to Mayanja, results from 20 polling stations cited in the petition indicate that Kyofatogabye polled 2,077 votes, but the Electoral Commission declared 5,717 votes after allegedly awarding him an extra 3,640 votes.

Mayanja also claims that results from some polling stations where he performed strongly, such as Kibose polling station, where he reportedly got 147 votes against Kyofatogabye’s 49, were not included on the tally sheet.

He further disputes the 100 percent voter turnout declared by the Electoral Commission at polling stations, including Kalagala-Kalungu, Kirinda, Bwami, Kabaale, Nabisojjo and Kiswagga.

The petitioner also points to discrepancies between the results declared by the district returning officer, which indicated that Kyofatogabye got 13,685 votes against Mayanja’s 8,178 votes, and the gazetted results, which show Kyofatogabye with 13,742 votes and Mayanja with 8,298 votes.

In his petition, Mayanja asks the court to declare that the Electoral Commission failed to comply with the Electoral Commission Act Cap 176, the Parliamentary Elections Act Cap 179, and the principles governing elections, thereby substantially affecting the outcome.

He is also asking the court to set aside Kyofatogabye’s election and declare him the duly elected Member of Parliament for Nakaseke Central.

Luwero High Court on Tuesday ordered Minister Kyofatogabye to file a defence within ten days upon receiving the petition.