Masaka Court Examines Voter Bribery Claims in Lwengo Woman MP Election Petition

The High Court in Masaka is currently adjudicating an election petition that raises serious allegations of voter bribery in the Lwengo Woman Member of Parliament race. The petition, filed by former candidate Sarah Muwonge Nkonge, challenges the victory of incumbent MP Cissy Namujju.

Nkonge’s petition claims that Namujju engaged in widespread voter bribery and other electoral malpractices that allegedly compromised the integrity of the election. During court proceedings, Nkonge herself testified, stating that the election results were declared based on an incomplete set of polling stations.

According to Nkonge, the returning officer announced the winner using results from only 150 out of 378 polling stations. The explanation provided for this discrepancy was a malfunction in the equipment used for transmitting or processing the results. Nkonge questioned the validity of a declaration made under such circumstances, raising concerns about the accuracy and credibility of the final outcome.

“The returning officer declared the winner based on results from only 150 polling stations and told us that the equipment he was using had failed,” Nkonge told the court. She further elaborated that the pervasiveness of voter bribery was the primary motivation for her legal challenge, stating, “What drove me to court was the excessive voter bribery. The election had lost its meaning.”

Additional witnesses, including local leaders Rashid Kinkumu Birimuye and Annet Nabukenya, have also provided testimony. They allege that Namujju’s campaign team distributed various items to voters, such as hoes, cash, food coupons, and plastic chairs. Some of these chairs were presented to the court as evidence. These testimonies aim to corroborate Nkonge’s claims that voters were allegedly swayed by material inducements.

Namujju’s legal representatives are expected to present their response and challenge the evidence put forth by the petitioner. The High Court will weigh all testimonies and evidence before rendering its judgment on the petition, which is one of several election disputes from the 2026 general elections being heard in Masaka.

Source: Nile Post