Hoima, Uganda: The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Hoima last night dismissed a vote recount petition in the Female Youth Member of Parliament election, and upheld the victory of Mercy Kanyesigye after finding evidence of ballot box tampering.
Chief Magistrate George Kunihira halted the recount process after opening the ballot box in court and comparing its contents with official election records.
The recount had been sought by Diana Ampaire, the NRM flag bearer, who lost to independent candidate Mercy Kanyesigye in the February 6, 2026, polls held at Hoima City Stadium. The official results declared by the electoral commission showed Independent-leaning Kanyesigye with 216 votes, NRM’s Ampaire 198, Independent Julia Muhumuza with 24, and NUP’s Namande Edith Nakayiza none.
In his ruling, Kunihira outlined legal indicators of ballot box tampering, including cut or replaced seals, mismatched serial numbers, discrepancies between ballot books and ballot papers, and inconsistencies in used votes.
The court summoned the returning officer, placed her under oath, and subjected her to cross-examination before opening the ballot box in the presence of all parties.
Kunihira said the court immediately identified inconsistencies.
He noted that the record of the serial numbers of seals, which the returning officer said had been placed inside the ballot box, was missing. “By not finding the record in the box, it leads to one conclusion that the record was removed,” he ruled.
The magistrate further observed that the ballot box contained nine ballot books, yet the accountability register reflected only eight.
He added that while the ballot books indicated 441 votes used, the physical ballot papers in the box totalled 440, pointing to a missing ballot.
“The ballot paper of serial number eight appeared used in the ballot book, but the same never appeared among the ballot papers in the ballot box,” Kunihira said.
The court also established that two ballot papers bearing serial number 36 appeared in the box, although that number appeared only once in the ballot book.
Kunihira ruled that the cumulative inconsistencies pointed to tampering on a balance of probability. “Once a ballot box has been tampered with, the court should not proceed with the vote recount, because the accuracy of the vote count can no longer be achieved,” he said.
He consequently called off the recount process.
The ruling means Kanyesigye retains her status as Female Youth MP-elect unless further legal action is pursued.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
