Politics 29 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Court Denies NUP's Nyanzi Access to Kawempe South Election Records
The High Court has dismissed Fred Nyanzi's request to inspect electoral materials for the Kawempe South parliamentary race, ruling that he failed to provide sufficient evidence of discrepancies. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/kawempe-south-petition-court-rejects-nup-s-nyanzi-request-for-electoral-records-5613838
The High Court Civil Division in Kampala has rejected a bid by National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Fred Ssentamu Nyanzi to access original electoral records from 73 polling stations in the Kawempe South constituency. Presiding judge Justice Faridah Shamilah Bukirwa Ntambi stated that Nyanzi did not present enough evidence to justify the inspection of these materials.
Nyanzi had petitioned the court to order the Electoral Commission (EC) to produce various documents, including Declaration of Results (DR) Forms and ballot paper accountability forms. He also sought for his rival, Madina Ntale Nsereko of the NRM, to provide her original DR forms.
Nyanzi claimed that DR forms obtained by his agents significantly differed from the EC’s certified versions, alleging vote manipulation. His legal team argued that access to the original documents was crucial for the court to identify and verify any discrepancies.
However, the EC and Ntale opposed the application, arguing that Nyanzi was engaged in a speculative search for evidence. Justice Bukirwa Ntambi agreed, noting that Nyanzi failed to attach the allegedly problematic DR forms to his court filing, making it impossible for the court to establish any prima facie non-conformity.
The judge further explained that certified copies of electoral documents are legally presumed to be accurate, and Nyanzi provided no evidence to challenge this presumption. This lack of specific evidence also weakened his request for auxiliary materials like scanner reports and deployment books. The court concluded that without a solid evidential basis, Nyanzi’s application constituted a “fishing expedition.”
While the court dismissed the application, it clarified that the core allegations of vote alteration will still be addressed during the main election petition hearing. The ruling on costs will abide by the outcome of that substantive petition.