The High Court in Masaka is set to deliver its judgment on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in an election petition filed by National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Rose Nalubowa challenging the victory of State Minister Justine Nameere in the Masaka City Woman MP race.
According to a judgment notice issued on October 20 and signed by Deputy Registrar Karungi Loe, the ruling will be delivered by email at noon or shortly afterwards.
The petition, registered as Election Petition No. 5 of 2026, stems from the January 15 parliamentary elections, in which Nalubowa was initially declared the winner before a court-ordered recount reversed the results in favour of Nameere, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket.
Nalubowa initially garnered 25,443 votes against Nameere’s 20,324, giving her a lead of 5,119 votes. However, following a recount ordered by Masaka Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe, Nameere emerged victorious with 25,502 votes, while Nalubowa secured 23,176.
Disputing the revised results, Nalubowa petitioned the High Court in March, alleging irregularities during the recount, including broken seals on several ballot boxes. She argued that electoral officials had failed to comply with the law, undermining the credibility of the final tally.
Nameere denied the allegations, maintaining that the recount was conducted lawfully under a court order. Her legal team asked the court to dismiss the petition with costs.
The case was heard by Justice Bernard Namanya, who admitted video evidence presented by Nalubowa’s lawyers during proceedings on September 22. The footage reportedly captured events surrounding the disputed recount, although Nameere’s lawyers challenged its admissibility.
The proceedings experienced further tension on September 30 when exchanges between Nameere and Nalubowa’s legal team forced the judge to suspend the hearing for approximately an hour.
Testifying via video link, Nameere maintained that Nalubowa and her representatives had abandoned the recount before its conclusion. She also argued that ballot boxes found to have irregularities were excluded from the final tally.
The defence later withdrew five witnesses, including Ali Kateregga, Sadick Lubega, Fatumah Namiiro, Mark Kizza and Emmanuel Kawesi. The court subsequently closed the hearing and directed both parties to file their final submissions by October 16.
Wednesday’s ruling will determine whether Nameere retains her parliamentary seat or Nalubowa succeeds in overturning the disputed election results.
The judgment is expected to conclude the High Court stage of a legal battle that has lasted more than eight months, although either party may pursue an appeal, subject to the applicable law.
The key question remains: Will the court uphold the recount that handed Nameere victory, or restore Nalubowa’s initial win?
