By: Joseph Mary Buwule
MASAKA — The election dispute between State Minister for Local Government and Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament Justine Nameere and National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Rose Nalubowa has taken a new turn after Nameere withdrew five of the seven defence witnesses she had lined up to support her victory.
Through her lawyers, Nameere asked Justice Bernard Namanya, who is presiding over the election petition at the Masaka High Court, to withdraw the five witnesses, leaving only Nameere herself and Enoch Kugoonza, the Electoral Commission’s principal legal officer, to testify on the defence side.
The witnesses withdrawn are Ali Kateregga, Sadick Lubega, Fatumah Namiiro, Mark Kizza and Emmanuel Kawesi. Nameere had initially intended to rely on the five as polling agents and witnesses to the contentious vote recount that eventually overturned the Electoral Commission’s initial declaration and resulted in her being declared the winner.
The development came after Nameere had appeared before court and testified in defence of her election. According to reports from the proceedings, her lawyers told the court that after assessing the evidence already presented, they had concluded that the remaining witnesses were no longer necessary to their case.
The dispute over the recount
The petition arises from the January 15, 2026 parliamentary election for the Masaka City Woman MP seat.
The Electoral Commission initially declared NUP’s Rose Nalubowa the winner after she obtained 25,443 votes, while Nameere, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, was credited with 20,324 votes.
Nameere challenged the result, leading to a recount supervised by Masaka Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe.
The recount dramatically changed the outcome. Nameere’s tally rose to 25,502 votes, while Nalubowa’s was reduced to 23,176 votes, resulting in Nameere being declared the winner.
Nalubowa subsequently went to the High Court challenging the legality of the recount and the declaration that followed it.
Her petition argues, among other matters, that the recount process was irregular. The dispute has particularly focused on the condition of some ballot boxes and the circumstances under which the recount proceeded. During earlier proceedings, Nalubowa told court that she left the Electoral Commission tally centre after discovering a ballot box with a broken seal.
EC defends compliance with court order
With five of Nameere’s witnesses withdrawn, the defence was left with Nameere and Electoral Commission principal legal officer Enoch Kugoonza.
During his testimony, Kugoonza was questioned by Nalubowa’s lawyers about an affidavit he had sworn concerning the recount, despite not having been physically present when the recount was conducted.
Kugoonza told court that he had been briefed about the exercise and was satisfied that the relevant legal requirements had been followed.
He further explained that after receiving the Chief Magistrate’s order directing the recount, the Electoral Commission was required to implement it unless a higher court issued an order stopping the exercise.
According to Kugoonza, the Electoral Commission had initially opposed the recount application because it considered the original tallying exercise credible. However, after the Chief Magistrate ordered the recount, the Commission complied with the court order.
Heated exchanges during Nameere’s testimony
Nameere’s testimony was also marked by tense exchanges during cross-examination by lawyers representing Nalubowa.
At one point, proceedings were briefly suspended after an exchange between Nameere and the petitioner’s lawyers as questions were put to her concerning the election and the recount process. Justice Namanya adjourned the proceedings temporarily to allow the situation to cool before the hearing resumed.
During questioning, Nameere maintained her position regarding the recount and disputed allegations surrounding the process.
Nalubowa’s lawyers, meanwhile, have continued to challenge the circumstances under which the recount was conducted and the subsequent declaration of Nameere as the elected MP.
The petition has therefore placed the legality and credibility of the recount at the centre of the dispute, with the court expected to determine whether the result declaring Nameere the winner should stand.
Court closes evidence stage
With the five witnesses withdrawn, the High Court brought the defence evidence stage to a close.
Justice Namanya directed the parties to prepare and file their final written submissions before the court proceeds to the next stage of the case. Reports on the latest proceedings indicate that the parties have been given deadlines in October for filing their submissions, after which the judge is expected to give further directions concerning judgment.
The case remains significant because its outcome will determine the legal status of the Masaka City Woman MP election result that changed following the controversial recount.
For now, Nameere remains the declared and gazetted MP following the recount, while Nalubowa continues to challenge that outcome through the High Court petition. The court’s eventual decision will determine whether the recount-based result stands or whether further legal consequences follow from the petition.