Lwengo District Woman MP Cissy Dionozia Namujju has admitted giving voters hoes, yellow plastic chairs and other items, but told the Masaka High Court that the donations were made before the 2026 election campaign and were not intended to influence voters.
Her testimony came under pressure during cross-examination when the petitioner produced a video dated January 9, 2026, showing a woman identified as Namujju distributing hoes and yellow plastic chairs after addressing a campaign rally in Malongo Sub-county.
Namujju, who is also the Lwengo District NRM Chairperson, disputed the authenticity of the video, telling the court that it had been generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence by her political opponents to implicate her in election-related offences.
She was testifying before Justice Rosette Comfort Kania in a petition challenging her victory in the January 15 general elections. The petition was filed by former independent candidate Dr Sarah Nkonge, who alleges that Namujju and her campaign agents bribed voters with branded tents, yellow plastic chairs, hoes and money during the campaign and on polling day.
Nkonge has presented photographs and video recordings showing Namujju addressing campaign meetings and distributing some of the items. Namujju acknowledged making the donations but said they took place in May and August 2025, before candidates were nominated for the general elections.
She told the court that the donations were made in her capacity as Lwengo District NRM Chairperson and as an aspirant in the party’s internal primaries. But Nkonge’s lawyer, Moses Kabega, pressed her over the January 9 video, in which the woman identified as Namujju is heard asking residents to vote for her and the President in appreciation of items she says she lobbied for from the government.
The woman in the video is also heard directing lower-level NRM structures to ensure the highest possible voter turnout and promising to financially reward them a day after the elections. But Namujju denied addressing the rally or making the statements, insisting the footage had been manipulated to portray her as having engaged in unacceptable conduct during the election campaign.
The cross-examination produced another moment of drama when Kabega asked Namujju to name at least three election laws of Uganda after she told the court she was familiar with electoral laws and related offences. She was unable to name them, prompting laughter from people in the court gallery.
Nkonge has also called nearly ten NRM village committee leaders to testify against Namujju, the official NRM flagbearer.Through her lawyer, Kandeebe Ntambirweki, Namujju asked the court for more time to present her remaining evidence and cross-examine additional witnesses for the petitioner.
The hearing was adjourned to Friday, when court hear evidence from the EC Returning Officer on whether they complied with electoral laws in conducting the Lwengo District Woman MP election-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
