The High Court of Uganda has received an election petition challenging the victory of Mawogola North Member of Parliament Godfrey Aine Kaguta Sodo.
The petition was filed on Monday by his rival, Jet John Tumwebaze, who is seeking to have the election results nullified and himself declared the duly elected MP.
Through his legal team led by Robert Rutaro of Elgon Advocates, Tumwebaze argues that Sodo does not meet the minimum academic qualifications required to serve as a Member of Parliament.
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"We are asking court to do the right thing and declare Jet Tumwebaze as the duly elected Member of Parliament upon analysis of all the evidence we have presented," Rutaro said, adding that they have lined up more than 200 witnesses.
At the centre of the petition is the claim that Sodo did not possess the required Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) or its equivalent at the time of nomination by the Electoral Commission.
The petitioner alleges that the academic documents submitted by Sodo were inconsistent and bore different names, raising questions about their authenticity.
"The law requires a candidate to have an S.6 certificate, but there is no clear record showing that Mr. Sodo presented such qualification in his own names," the petition states.
Tumwebaze's legal team further contends that the documents attributed to Sodo were issued under different identities, and has asked the court to determine whether the nominated candidate is the same person reflected in the academic records.
The petition also cites alleged electoral irregularities, including voter intimidation and harassment of opposition supporters. Tumwebaze's camp accuses elements of the Uganda People's Defence Forces of bias, claiming that agents and supporters were arrested, tortured, and prevented from participating freely in the electoral process.
They argue that these actions undermined the integrity of the election and denied voters in Mawogola North a free and fair contest.
The Electoral Commission has also been named in the petition, with Sembabule District Returning Officer Gracious Aryaija accused of irregularly declaring the results.
According to David Stanley Abomugisha, who chaired Tumwebaze's campaign task force, results from some polling stations--particularly those where their candidate had strong support--were allegedly excluded from the final tally.
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"For example, results from Kyoloola Polling Station in Sembabule Town Council were not counted," he claimed.
According to official results released by the Electoral Commission, Sodo was declared winner with 15,923 votes, while Tumwebazze garnered 6,955 votes. Other candidates included Angela Kigonya of the Democratic Party with 274 votes, and independent candidate John Ezra Twine, who polled 42 votes.
The High Court is expected to set a hearing date for the petition, which could have significant political implications for Mawogola North if the results are overturned.
The case sets the stage for a potentially contentious legal battle, likely to test both the credibility of the electoral process and the enforcement of academic qualification requirements for public office in Uganda.
