KAMPALA.
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal is set to start delivering rulings from Tuesday.
This follows days of hearings into petitions arising from the party’s recently concluded and contentious parliamentary primaries.
The tribunal began sittings on July 29, after the party released its first cause list on July 27. A supplementary list was later issued to accommodate additional cases, which wrap up on Tuesday, August 5 .
“That cause list was scheduled to end today, August 4, but a supplementary cause list was issued on Friday to handle the last set of cases, which ends tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Mr Enoch Barata, the party’s Director of Legal Services.
Barata noted that each petition would be ruled on individually. “It’s not one general ruling. Each case is determined on its own merit,” he said.
In response to concerns over bias, Barata said the tribunal remains impartial and insulated from political or familial pressure.
“The tribunal is blind to family ties or influence. It will respect the will of the people and make decisions based on evidence, not rumours or relationships,” he told reporters in Kampala.
He also dismissed claims that some candidates could influence outcomes through bribery.
“That kind of talk is laughable. The tribunal was selected carefully and is made up of competent individuals. Anyone who has followed proceedings can testify to its professionalism,” Barata added.
On Monday, several NRM parliamentary candidates appeared before the tribunal at the party’s headquarters in Kampala to defend their positions as the panel concluded its hearings.
Among them was the incumbent Kapchorwa District Woman MP, Ms Phyllis Chemutai, who is challenging the annulment of the July 17 primary elections, in which she had initially been declared the winner.
Chemutai alleged that the party’s Electoral Commission unfairly cancelled her victory and called for a re-run held on July 31, which she lost.
“When the party organized a re-run, I had not prepared my voters, and the outcomes were not good on my side,” she said, adding: “Whereas the first elections were cancelled on allegations of irregularities which never happened, the second election was marred by all sorts of irregularities.”
Chemutai now wants the tribunal to reinstate her earlier win.
Another senior figure who appeared before the tribunal was Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Minister for ICT and the incumbent MP for Kinkizi East.
As the tribunal prepares to issue its decisions, the NRM leadership is under pressure to demonstrate fairness and transparency to avoid internal divisions ahead of the 2026 general elections.