The Masaka Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered a recount of all ballots cast in the Kalungu East parliamentary election in a bid to establish the exact number of votes obtained by each candidate.
The directive was issued by Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe following an application by former Minister of Defence Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, who challenged the declaration of National Unity Platform candidate Yusufu Kiruruuta Nkeretanyi as the winner of the January 15 polls.
According to results announced by the Electoral Commission, Nkeretanyi was declared the winner with 15,473 votes, defeating Ssempijja, who polled 13,298 votes. Ssempijja, however, disputed the margin, arguing that it could not be reconciled with the ballot papers contained in the ballot boxes.
In his ruling, Magistrate Asiimwe said delaying the recount would only prolong uncertainty and escalate the dispute to higher courts unnecessarily.
“Delaying this application would mean that the applicant waits to file a petition in the High Court after gazettement, yet a recount would resolve the dispute quickly and at a lower cost,” Asiimwe ruled.
He noted that refusing the application would perpetuate uncertainty among voters in Kalungu East and the wider public.
“Disallowing the application would maintain anxiety among the people and voters of Kalungu East and the state where they are not sure of who their Member of Parliament is,” he said.
The magistrate further observed that election materials were safely stored and that the applicant’s claim of a fictitious vote margin warranted verification through a full recount.
“Considering that the election materials are in safe custody and that the applicant alleges the respondent won with a vote margin not traceable in the ballot boxes, I find that a recount of all ballot papers in all polling stations is the most appropriate solution,” Asiimwe ruled.
He emphasised that the recount would ensure transparency and clarity for all participants in the election.
“Every participant in the election will be in a position to know exactly how they scored in the parliamentary election conducted on fifteenth January, two thousand and twenty six,” he said.
Magistrate Asiimwe declined to award costs to either party, noting that allegations of irregularities were directed at the returning officer and electoral staff who were not parties to the application.
“I cannot be seen condemning the returning officer or the Electoral Commission at large, and neither can I condemn the respondent since it was not his duty to tally and declare results,” he ruled, adding that each party would bear its own costs.
The court ordered that the recount of all ballot papers from every polling station in Kalungu East be conducted at the Kalungu District Electoral Commission offices starting at 3pm the same day (today). The magistrate noted that the timing complied with the legal window provided under the Parliamentary Elections Act for conducting recounts.
