The High Court in Bushenyi has dismissed an election petition filed against Buhweju District Chairperson Deogratious Atuhaire, upholding his victory in the January 22, 2026 election.
In a judgment delivered on November 13, 2026, Lady Justice Mary Ikit ruled that petitioner Philip Muhamya had failed to prove that the election was conducted in violation of the law or that the alleged irregularities substantially affected the final results.
Atuhaire won with 22,231 votes against Muhamya’s 19,754, giving him a majority of 2,477 votes.
The Electoral Commission gazetted the results on April 10, 2026. Muhamya filed his petition on April 24, seeking to overturn the outcome and have himself declared the duly elected chairperson. Alternatively, he asked the court to order a fresh election using the Biometric Voter Verification System (BVVS).
The petition, registered as Election Petition No. 001 of 2026, raised allegations of voter bribery, multiple voting, interference with voters and manipulation of election results.
Muhamya’s legal team presented video footage, photographs and audio recordings in support of some of the claims. However, on September 29, Justice Ikit ruled that the electronic materials did not satisfy the legal requirements for authentication and admissibility and ordered that they be removed from the court record.
The judge cited the absence of certificates of extraction and affidavits from people who transferred the recordings from mobile phones to computers and CDs. She also raised concerns about the integrity of the evidence and noted that some recordings lacked affidavits from the individuals who translated them into English.
Despite the exclusion of the electronic evidence, Muhamya’s lawyer, Andrew Byamukama, maintained that the petition was supported by documentary evidence obtained from the Electoral Commission.
The petitioner’s legal team had questioned the accounting of ballot papers and raised concerns about declaration of results forms from Kabuga and Katagata polling stations.
The court had earlier given the parties an opportunity to consider mediation, but Muhamya opposed the proposal, arguing that the case involved alleged electoral irregularities affecting the people of Buhweju.
The dismissal means Atuhaire retains the district chairperson’s seat, with the court finding that Muhamya had not established sufficient grounds to overturn the election results.
