WHO ALTERS COURT FILES? Judge Recommends Probe Into Masaka Deputy Registrar
The Judiciary has been urged to investigate Masaka High Court Deputy Registrar Loy Karungi over alleged irregularities in the handling of court documents, following discrepancies in affidavits filed in an election petition challenging the victory of Bukomansimbi Woman MP Ruth Katushabe.
The recommendation was made by High Court Judge Justice Rosette Comfort Kania, who raised concerns about the existence of parallel certified court documents containing information different from that on the original court record.
The dispute arose during the hearing of an election petition filed by former Bukomansimbi Woman MP Veronica Nannyondo, who unsuccessfully challenged Katushabe’s victory in the January 14 parliamentary elections.
Nannyondo, through her lawyer Brian Sodo, accused officials in the Registrar’s office of colluding to alter affidavits accompanying her petition by removing pages bearing her signatures and certification marks of a Commissioner for Oaths.
The alleged alterations, according to the petitioner, rendered some of the affidavits incomplete and threatened the validity of her case.
Katushabe’s lawyer, Geoffrey Kandeebe, had asked the court to dismiss the petition on procedural grounds, citing delayed service of the petition and the alleged use of affidavits that had not been duly commissioned. Kandeebe presented Karungi as a witness for the respondents.
In her testimony, the Deputy Registrar indicated that some copies of the affidavits had not been duly commissioned and that the petition documents were served outside the statutory timelines.
However, Nannyondo’s lawyers challenged her account, arguing that the petition had met the legal requirements when it was filed but that discrepancies arose in documents subsequently handled by the court registry.
Sodo told the court that an examination of the original petition on the court file showed that the affidavits had been duly commissioned, contrary to claims that they were defective.
He also pointed out discrepancies in the receiving stamps on copies of the petition supplied to the parties. Although the petition was presented and received by the court on the same day, some documents bore stamps indicating March 16 and March 17, 2026.
Sodo attributed the discrepancies and alleged removal of pages to possible interference with court records intended to frustrate the petition, which challenged the election results over alleged numerical errors in the computation of votes and forgery of declaration of results forms.
In her ruling, Justice Kania said her examination of the original court record established that the affidavits had been duly commissioned, contrary to the claims made by the respondents and the Deputy Registrar.
The judge also observed that, during cross-examination, Nannyondo’s lawyer retrieved a copy of the petition from the respondents’ lawyers and presented it to the court, showing that it contained the required certification and date.
Justice Kania said the existence of parallel certified documents containing information different from the original court record raised concerns about possible tampering.
“Before I take leave of this issue, it is imperative to note that the existence of a parallel certified court document, different from what is on court record, connotes tampering with court records. This is a matter which requires administrative inquiry, which is hereby recommended in the interest of protecting the integrity of court records,” Justice Kania stated.
The judge recommended that the Judiciary institute an administrative inquiry into the handling of official documents filed with the Deputy Registrar’s office to safeguard the integrity of court records.
However, during her earlier testimony, Karungi explained that her official stamp had slipped while she was receiving the documents, resulting in two different dates being stamped on the petition.
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