KISORO, UGANDA – The Kisoro Chief Magistrate’s Court has delivered a decisive ruling, dismissing two applications seeking a recount of votes in the parliamentary elections for Bufumbira North and Bufumbira South constituencies.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The petitions, filed by unsuccessful aspirants Kamara John Nizeyimana and Sam Kwizera Bitangaro, challenged the results declared by the Electoral Commission following an election held on January 15th, 2026.
Presiding over the proceedings on Friday, Chief Magistrate His Worship Patrick Muhiga found the evidence presented in both cases to be lacking, dealing a significant blow to the attempts to overturn the initial outcomes.
The court’s session began with the hearing for Bufumbira North Constituency, where independent candidate Kamara John Nizeyimana petitioned against declared winner Fortunate Nshuti Rutarema Habyara of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and another candidate.
The case encountered an immediate procedural challenge. Counsel Stephen Birikano, representing MP-elect Habyara, successfully argued that his client had not been properly served with court summons as he was traveling at the time.
Counsel Augustine Akineza, also for the respondent, supported this argument, emphasizing that the fundamental failure of proper service left the court no legal alternative but to dismiss the proceedings outright.
Counsel Jude Mwasa for the Electoral Commission added that a recount, by law, requires clear proof of numerical errors, a standard he argued was not met.
Counsel Ntabana Roger, for the applicant, cited alleged irregularities at specific polling stations like Ruturwe Catholic Church and Bushunga Church of Uganda, and also mentioned a desire to establish voter gender distribution.
The court then heard the petition for Bufumbira South Constituency, where independent candidate Sam Kwizera Bitangaro challenged the victory of Alex Niyonsaba Seruganda of the NRM.
Counsel Ntabana Roger, also representing Bitangaro, presented a detailed list of alleged arithmetic discrepancies on Declaration of Results (DR) forms across numerous polling stations.
Ntabana argued that the purpose of the application was to correct these arithmetic errors through a court-supervised recount.
The defence held firm on the legal threshold. Counsel Jude Mwasa reiterated that mere allegations were insufficient without credible, demonstrable proof of miscalculation.
Chief Magistrate Muhiga, siding with the defence, dismissed both applications, finding the presented evidence to be unpersuasive, lacking in merit, and insufficient to justify a recount.
With these dismissals, the court’s ruling formally affirms the results declared by the Electoral Commission, confirming Alex Niyonsaba Seruganda (NRM) as the elected Member of Parliament for Bufumbira South and Fortunate Nshuti Rutarema Habyara (NRM) for Bufumbira North.
The rulings bring a measure of finality to the electoral process in these constituencies, allowing the declared winners to prepare for their parliamentary mandates.
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