The lawyer also told court that issues surrounding Kalangwa’s death, disputes over his property and expenses reportedly incurred during his burial had complicated Birungi’s ability to continue pursuing the election challenge.
The High Court in Mukono has formally recognised NUP’s Harriet Nakwedde as the duly elected Woman Member of Parliament for Kayunga District following the withdrawal of a petition challenging her victory.
The decision was made by Justice Godfrey Himbaza after Jackline Birungi, daughter of the late Moses Kalangwa, a former National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairman in Kayunga, applied to discontinue the election petition.
Birungi filed Miscellaneous Application No. 169 of 2026 seeking permission to withdraw the case. Through her lawyer, Isaac Nambijja Kasule, she informed court that the parties had reached an understanding to end the proceedings, with each party meeting its own legal costs.
Birungi was not present in court. Her lawyer explained that she had been under emotional strain following her father’s death and was simultaneously dealing with disagreements within the family concerning his estate.
District Health Inspector, Four Others Charged Over 123 Bales of Government Mosquito Nets
The lawyer also told court that issues surrounding Kalangwa’s death, disputes over his property and expenses reportedly incurred during his burial had complicated Birungi’s ability to continue pursuing the election challenge.
However, the Electoral Commission opposed the proposal that each party should bear its own costs.
The Commission’s legal team, led by Kevin Amojong, asked Justice Himbaza to order Birungi to meet the costs incurred in defending the petition.
Amojong relied on Section 84(4) of the Election Act and relevant provisions of the Parliamentary Elections Rules, arguing that the Electoral Commission had incurred expenses in responding to the case.
Nambijja, on the other hand, asked the court to take into account the fact that the application for withdrawal had been made before the matter had substantially progressed.
After considering the arguments, Justice Himbaza allowed Birungi to discontinue the proceedings and consequently confirmed Nakwedde as the elected Woman Member of Parliament for Kayunga.
The judge, however, did not immediately determine the question of costs.
Justice Himbaza said it would be unfair to impose a heavy financial penalty on Birungi, noting that, in his assessment, she had not unnecessarily wasted the respondents’ time through the proceedings.
He said the court would issue its decision on the Electoral Commission’s application for costs on September 25, 2026, through the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS).
Nakwedde welcomed the outcome and said she had forgiven Birungi over the election dispute.
She also indicated that she would not pursue compensation from her former challenger.
Nakwedde used the occasion to call on the government to uphold the will of voters and ensure that citizens are allowed to freely choose their representatives.
Her lead lawyer, Andrew Wabwezi, described the election challenge as lacking merit and alleged that it had been politically motivated.
Mukono Diocese Mock Results: Some Schools Record 100% Division U Ahead of PLE
Wabwezi maintained that Nakwedde remains the legitimately elected representative of the people of Kayunga District.
According to the lawyer, the dispute had earlier included an attempt by the petitioners to have the election results recounted at the Kayunga Magistrates Court.
He said the petitioners later declined to accept the outcome despite being aware that they had lost the election.
Wabwezi further said Nakwedde’s legal team had prepared a strong defence and that the petitioners subsequently opted to withdraw the case.
He said while the withdrawal ended the legal challenge, it was not necessarily an unfavourable decision for the petitioners.
