Politics 5 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
NRM's Kira Municipality Candidate Cites Military and Irregularities in Election Petition
The NRM candidate for Kira Municipality, Daniel Kananura, has filed an election petition challenging his defeat, citing heavy military deployment and alleged irregularities in the vote count. The court has raised questions about the direct evidence of voter intimidation. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/kira-election-petition-nrm-candidate-blames-military-deployment-flawed-results-for-defeat-5621162
The High Court in Wakiso District is hearing an election petition filed by Daniel Kananura, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate for Kira Municipality. Kananura is contesting the victory of George Musisi of the National Unity Platform (NUP) in the January 15, 2026 General Election.
During his testimony, Kananura claimed that a significant military presence in key areas like Bweyogerere and Kireka intimidated his supporters, preventing them from voting. However, Justice George Okello questioned the difficulty in substantiating these claims without direct testimony from affected voters. The Electoral Commission’s counsel also queried how Musisi’s supporters were able to vote in large numbers despite the alleged security obstacles.
Kananura also pointed to alleged alterations on Declaration of Results (DR) forms and other election-day irregularities as reasons for his loss. When pressed for the exact number of votes he received, Kananura could not provide a figure and requested to review his DR forms. His legal team acknowledged that some submitted DR forms were unsigned or had names of unappointed agents, though Kananura expressed confidence in winning a re-election.
According to the official results, Musisi secured 24,848 votes, with Ibrahim Ssemujju coming second with 16,653 votes. Kananura finished third with 7,799 votes.
The hearing has been adjourned to allow for the cross-examination of the NUP lawmaker and his witnesses. The court’s focus remains on the evidence presented to support the claims of intimidation and electoral malpractice.