Tempers flared during the hearing of an election petition filed by former State Minister for Water Ronald Kibuule against Mukono North MP Abdullah Kiwanuka, after a key witness called by the petitioner struggled to explain his earlier sworn testimony.
Kibuule, who contested the Mukono North parliamentary seat on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, is challenging Kiwanuka’s victory under the National Unity Platform (NUP) and wants the court to order a recount of votes cast in the January 2026 parliamentary election.
The courtroom tension arose during the examination of Kibuule’s witness, Murushid Tebusweke, whose responses raised questions about his familiarity with the petitioner and the contents of an affidavit he had sworn in support of the case.
When asked whether he knew Kibuule, Tebusweke answered in the affirmative. However, his responses became less certain when he was shown a newspaper photograph of the former minister alongside the person present in court. The witness said the two did not match in any way and further stated that he could not confirm whether the name appearing in the newspaper referred to the person in the courtroom.
His responses triggered a dispute between Kibuule’s lawyer, Frank Akandiho, and Kiwanuka’s counsel, Asuman Basalirwa, over the credibility of the evidence being presented. The disagreement escalated, prompting security officers guarding the courtroom to move closer to the bench and repeatedly urge the lawyers to maintain order.
At one point, Basalirwa ordered Akandiho to leave the courtroom while the latter was still standing and addressing the court, further heightening tensions. The tense exchanges between lawyers briefly disrupted proceedings before Justice Godfrey Himbaza intervened and called for calm. Proceedings resumed after a brief pause, but Tebusweke continued to appear confused as he struggled to explain the contents of his affidavit.
Speaking to journalists outside court, Basalirwa questioned the credibility of the petitioner’s case, saying it contained “many things they are trying to confuse.” He said the developments had made it difficult for him to believe the case being presented and criticised the conduct of the opposing legal team during the hearing.
The confrontation also affected the progress of the hearing. Sixteen witnesses had been scheduled to testify in support of Kibuule’s petition on Monday, but only three managed to take the stand. The case was adjourned to Tuesday, when more witnesses are expected to testify.
In a separate election petition before the same court, proceedings in the case filed by Dr Daisy Sarah Nabatanzi challenging the election of Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze did not begin as scheduled on Monday.
Justice Himbaza granted an adjournment after Nambooze’s lawyers, led by Medard Lubega Sseggona, asked for additional time to prepare their defence. Although they had requested four days, the judge granted two days and scheduled the hearing to begin on October 21.
Nambooze told the court that she needed the additional time to participate in a debate on a government Bill aimed at ending child marriage. Nabatanzi’s lawyers, however, said they had arrived prepared to proceed with the hearing and accused the defence of creating obstacles that prevented the case from starting-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
