Anywar had argued that discrepancies in the number of voters, ballot papers and alterations in the recorded closing times raised questions about the integrity of the election.
The High Court in Kitgum has dismissed an election petition filed by the State Minister for Environment, Beatrice Atim Anywar challenging the election of Oneka Lit Amere Denis as Member of Parliament for Kitgum Municipality.
In a judgment delivered on November 9, 2026, Justice Kwizera Amos dismissed the petition for lack of merit, ruling that Anywar had failed to prove allegations of electoral malpractice, voter bribery, multiple voting, violence and intimidation against the successful candidate.
The court also awarded costs to the respondents.
Anywar, who contested in the January 15, 2026 parliamentary elections, had accused Denis, the Electoral Commission and the district returning officer, Atim Betty Owot, of presiding over an election marred by irregularities and violations of electoral laws.
According to the results gazetted on March 2, 2026, Denis won the Kitgum Municipality parliamentary seat with 6,176 votes, while Anywar came second with 5,013 votes.
Sex for Grades: The Hidden Abuse of Power in Uganda’s Universities
The petition centred on allegations that the Electoral Commission failed to use Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs), which Anywar claimed had facilitated multiple voting, ballot stuffing and voting by unauthorised persons.
However, the judge ruled that the Electoral Commission’s decision to use the National Voters’ Register instead of the biometric machines was justified by technical challenges that affected the kits countrywide.
The court heard that the machines required a software upgrade from version 1.5.4 to 1.5.6, which could not be completed because internet access was reportedly unavailable after the equipment arrived in the districts.
Justice Kwizera noted that the Electoral Commission had issued guidance on polling day, January 15, directing returning officers to use the official National Voters’ Register where the biometric machines failed.
He ruled that the commission acted within its emergency powers under sections 49 and 12(1)(f) of the Electoral Commission Act to ensure voting continued without disenfranchising eligible voters.
The judge also examined allegations of alterations and discrepancies in Declaration of Results (DR) Forms from several polling stations, including Kitgum Public Primary School, Nyanya, Lemobongolwec South and Te-Muyembe.
Anywar had argued that discrepancies in the number of voters, ballot papers and alterations in the recorded closing times raised questions about the integrity of the election.
However, the court found that the alleged alterations did not affect the total votes recorded for the respective candidates. The votes attributed to the candidates in the certified results forms corresponded with those in the results tally sheet.
On allegations of voter bribery, the petitioner presented affidavits from several witnesses who claimed they had been offered money to vote for Denis or participate in multiple voting.
One witness, Isaac Odongotoo, alleged that he was given sh50,000 by a person identified as Ochan Simon Peter to vote at four polling stations.
Another witness, Rwotolara Emmanuel, claimed he had been given voter location slips and voted four times.
However, the judge found that the petitioner had not sufficiently established the identities of the alleged perpetrators or demonstrated that they acted as Denis’s agents with his knowledge, consent or approval.
The court similarly dismissed allegations of personation, multiple voting and ballot stuffing, citing insufficient evidence identifying the polling stations, voters and transactions involved.
On violence and intimidation, the judge found that the evidence did not sufficiently establish the alleged attackers, the circumstances surrounding the reported confrontation at Go Down Polling Station or their connection to Denis.
He also noted that the petitioner had not produced sufficient evidence showing that complaints about the alleged electoral irregularities had been formally lodged with the Electoral Commission or the police.
The court, however, cautioned that the absence of written complaints alone does not automatically disprove allegations of electoral malpractice, since credible witness testimony can establish such incidents.
In his overall assessment, Justice Kwizera ruled that Anywar had failed to prove any electoral offence or malpractice attributable to Denis to the required standard.
He consequently dismissed the petition with costs. The judgment was delivered on November 9, 2026.
VIDEO: Bukanama Dairy Farm – Busuulwa’s Journey from 10 to 6,000 Cattle in 22 Years