Ugandan court upholds Persis Namuganza’s election
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on UG Diplomat
Iganga High Court has upheld Persis Namuganza’s election as MP for Bukono after rejecting Emmanuel Maganda Katoko’s petition. The November 13, 2026 ruling found that the electoral irregularities identified had not sufficiently affected the result, reports UG Diplomat.
Iganga High Court on November 13, 2026 upheld the election of Persis Namuganza, Uganda’s State Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, as MP for Bukono, rejecting a petition by Emmanuel Maganda Katoko, according to UG Diplomat. Justice Patience Rubagumya found that the alleged electoral irregularities had not sufficiently affected the result to justify annulling the poll and ordered the petitioner to pay costs.
Persis Namuganza, an independent candidate after losing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries, secured 15,696 votes against 14,431 for Emmanuel Maganda Katoko, the NRM candidate, a lead of 1,265 votes. The court acknowledged mathematical inconsistencies in some result forms as well as incidents of violence at three polling stations, but concluded that these had not changed the final result, according to UG Diplomat.
The judge also noted that the Ugandan Electoral Commission had not sufficiently ensured the maintenance of order at the polling stations concerned. Emmanuel Maganda Katoko also accused Persis Namuganza of vote-buying and sought the annulment of her election.
