Mukono LC5 Election Petition: Returning Officer Faces Scrutiny Over Missing, Contradictory Results

The electoral process for the Mukono District chairperson position is under intense scrutiny at the High Court, as lawyers representing petitioner Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga question electoral officials. The petition challenges the declaration of Francis Lukooya Mukoome as the winner following the January 2026 elections.

Central to the dispute are two conflicting results declared by Returning Officer Emily Amongin. Initially, Mr. Muyanja was announced as the victor. However, a subsequent tally reversed this, declaring Mr. Lukooya the winner. Ms. Amongin, a returning officer with six years of experience, testified that she declared the candidate with the highest votes according to the tallies presented.

During cross-examination, lawyers highlighted several declaration forms with significant discrepancies. At Kiwafu Tea Estate, a presiding officer alleged that armed personnel interfered with ballot papers. While Ms. Amongin was not present, she proceeded with the tally after receiving the materials. Similar concerns were raised about Namumpa polling station, where a handwritten note indicated interference by armed personnel, yet the results were still incorporated into the final count.

Furthermore, results from four polling stations – Madujju Mosque, Mpunge Primary School, Mpunge NAK-Z, and Buwujja Faith Nursery School – were notably absent from the final tally, despite having a combined total of 1,942 registered voters. Ms. Amongin cited reports of violence and missing materials as reasons for their exclusion, but the petitioner’s legal team questioned the lack of official police reports to substantiate these claims.

Several presiding officers admitted to arithmetic and recording errors on their declaration forms. Instances included the same polling station showing different vote counts for a candidate on different copies of the form, and discrepancies between the number of voters recorded and the total votes cast. The court also struck out an affidavit after a witness failed to appear for cross-examination. The proceedings are now moving towards final submissions, where the court will weigh the alleged irregularities against the election outcome.

This information was reported by the Daily Monitor.