2026 POLLS COURT BATTLE! Nameere Drops Five Witnesses as Masaka Woman MP Petition Hearing Ends

Justine Nameere, the Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament, has withdrawn from the High Court defence witnesses in an election petition that challenges her election victory.

Through her lawyers, Samuel Ssekyewa and Anthony Baziira, Nameere asked Justice Barnard Namanya, who is presiding over the petition hearing at the Masaka High Court, to drop the five witnesses she had intended to rely on to defend her election victory.

The dropped witnesses are Ali Kateregga, Sadick Lubega, Fatumah Namiiro, Mark Kizza, and Emmanuel Kawesi, whom she says were her polling agents and witnesses in the contentious vote recount from which she was declared the winner.

Nameere, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, was declared the winner following a vote recount ordered by Masaka Chief Magistrate Abert Asiimwe.

The recount overturned the earlier declaration by the Electoral Commission, which had initially declared NUP candidate Rose Nalubowa the winner of the January 15 election.

However, Nalubowa also petitioned the High Court, challenging the Chief Magistrate’s decision and the subsequent declaration of Nameere as the winner.

She argued that the recount and subsequent declarations were conducted in violation of the law and accused the Chief Magistrate of abuse of power.

On Wednesday, after Nameere testified as a key defence witness, her lawyers told the trial judge that she had also instructed them to withdraw five of the seven witnesses she had intended to present to substantiate her victory.

She earlier engaged Nalubowa’s lawyers in tense verbal confrontations as she prevented them from cross-examining her.

The trial judge was forced to suspend court for moments to cool down the tempers.

Moments after court resumed, Baziira told the court that after Nameere testified and was cross-examined by Nalubowa’s lawyers, in her own evaluation of the case, she concluded that the remaining witnesses were no longer relevant to her defense.

Nameere’s defense team concluded their case by presenting only two witnesses, which included her and Enoch Kugoonza, the Principal Legal Officer of the Electoral Commission With the withdrawal of the five witnesses, Nameere’s defence team closed its case after presenting only two witnesses, who included herself and Enoch Kugoonza, the Principal Legal Officer of the Electoral Commission.

Meanwhile, Nalubowa’s lawyers, Samuel Mulindwa Muyizzi and Alexander Lule, tasked Kugoonza to explain why he swore an affidavit regarding the recount despite not being physically present during the exercise. In his response, he told the court that he was given a brief concerning the entire exercise and was convinced that the governing laws were properly followed.

Kugoonza explained that upon receiving the Chief Magistrate’s order, the Electoral Commission was required to execute the vote recount unless a higher court issued a contrary order.

According to Kugoonza, the Commission had initially opposed the application for a recount, arguing that the Returning Officer had conducted a credible exercise.

However, the Chief Magistrate overruled their position and ordered the recount, leaving the Commission with no option but to comply with the court order.

With the submission of the evidence of the defence witnesses, the court concluded the hearing of the petition.

Justice Namanya has directed the parties to file their closing submission by 12th of October, saying that he will give further directions regarding the delivery of the judgment.

Before the recount, the Electoral Commission had declared Rose Nalubowa the winner with 25,443 votes against Nameere’s 20,324 votes.

However, after the recount of the ballot papers, Nalubowa’s tally was reduced to 23,176 votes, while Nameere’s votes increased to 25,502, resulting in her being declared the winner.