Politics 6 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Kira Election Petition: Judge Warns Lawyers Against 'Fishing' for Evidence
A High Court judge presiding over the Kira Municipality election petition has cautioned lawyers against using court proceedings to search for unspecified evidence. Justice George Okello urged legal counsel to base their questions on established facts rather than speculative inquiries. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/kira-election-petition-judge-cautions-lawyers-against-fishing-for-evidence-in-court-5622488
During the hearing of a petition challenging the election of Kira Municipality MP George Musisi, Justice George Okello issued a stern warning to lawyers involved. He advised them to avoid “fishing” for evidence through cross-examination, emphasizing that questions should be grounded in factual circumstances and not posed with the aim of discovering unknown information.
The petition, lodged by NRM candidate Daniel Kananura, seeks to nullify the victory of Mr. Musisi of the National Unity Platform (NUP). Mr. Musisi secured 24,848 votes in the January 15, 2026 election, significantly ahead of Mr. Kananura’s 7,799 votes. Former legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju of PFF came in second with 16,654 votes.
Tensions arose when Mr. Kananura’s lawyer, Mr. Alam Muhame, questioned Mr. Musisi about his campaign agents. Justice Okello intervened, directing the lawyer to be more specific and stating, “You should ask a question about the factual circumstances, not because you want to discover something which you also don’t know.” The judge noted that such vague questioning unnecessarily prolonged the proceedings.
The court also addressed claims of campaign material distribution near polling centers. Mr. Musisi stated he only distributed flyers at official rallies. When asked to produce evidence supporting the distribution claims, the petitioner’s counsel conceded they had none, prompting the judge to move the proceedings forward.
Later, while discussing discrepancies in Electoral Commission (EC) documents with another petitioner’s lawyer, Mr. Charles Bukuwa, Justice Okello clarified that comparing different EC figures was insufficient. He advised that the crucial comparison should be between the tally collected by the petitioner’s team from polling stations and the EC’s final published results to demonstrate any substantial impact on the outcome.
The hearing was adjourned to October 12, with the court expecting the second EC witness to testify. The proceedings highlighted the need for a focused and evidence-based approach in election petition hearings.
This information is based on reports from the Daily Monitor.