Kampala, Uganda: The High Court in Kampala has dismissed a case challenging the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s endorsement of Anita Annet Among and Thomas Tayebwa as Speaker and Deputy Speaker flag bearers of the ruling party for the 12th Parliament, handing the ruling party a major legal victory.
In a ruling delivered Monday, May 11, 2026, Hon. Justice Collins Acellam upheld preliminary objections raised by the respondents and dismissed an application filed by one Jack Nsubuga alias Mandela, who had questioned the legality of the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC)’s decision.
The court heard that the NRM CEC endorsed Among and Tayebwa during a meeting held at State House, Entebbe, on January 29, 2026.
Representing the NRM, Counsel Usaama Sebuufu of K&K Advocates argued that the party acted within its constitutional mandate and established internal procedures when making the endorsements.
“The Central Executive Committee acted within its mandate under the party constitution and established procedures. Internal political processes must be respected, and the court should be slow to interfere where mechanisms exist within the party,” Sebuufu submitted.
The defence maintained that the dispute was an internal political matter that ought to have been handled through party structures rather than through judicial intervention.
In his ruling, Justice Acelam agreed with the respondents, holding that the applicant lacked sufficient legal standing to bring the case and had failed to exhaust the NRM’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before seeking court intervention.
The judge further noted that judicial review is a remedy of last resort and warned against unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of political organisations where institutional mechanisms already exist.
“The preliminary objections are accordingly upheld, and the application is hereby dismissed,” Justice Acelam ruled.
The decision effectively clears the way for the implementation of the NRM’s parliamentary leadership positions ahead of the 12th Parliament without further legal uncertainty.
Political observers have also interpreted the ruling as a reaffirmation of party autonomy and the authority of political organisations to manage internal leadership processes through their constitutional structures.
Although the court declined to award costs against the applicant, citing the broader constitutional and governance questions raised in the matter, the outcome was widely viewed as a significant courtroom victory for the NRM legal team.Jack
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