By KT Reporter
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal has overturned the results of the party’s primary election for Member of Parliament in Mbale City Northern Division and declared Hudu Hussein as the flag bearer.
In the contested election, Umar Nangoli had been declared the winner with 22,166 votes, narrowly edging out former Kampala City RCC Hudu Hussein, who polled 21,575 votes. The other contestants in this race were Hajj Walujo Mukankadi with 14,936 votes and Seth Wambede Massa, who garnered 7,638 votes.
But dissatisfied with the results, Hudu Hussein filed a petition challenging them , citing multiple irregularities and calling for a review.Hudu Hussein, through his lawyer Bayern Turinawe of Origo Advocates, alleged widespread electoral malpractices including falsification of Declaration of Results (DR) Forms, intimidation of his agents, and voting irregularities in several polling stations, particularly at Kinyole A and B.
He asked the Tribunal to nullify the results in the affected areas and declare him the rightful winner.On the other hand, Nangoli, represented by lawyer Chris Mbaga Malinga, denied the allegations and maintained he had been lawfully elected. He also counter-accused Hudu Hussein of assaulting one of his agents during the voting exercise, and urged the Tribunal to uphold the initial declaration.
The Tribunal, chaired by chaired by John Musiime with members Hillary Kabiswa, Diana Kasabiiti (Panel head) , and Ampaire Tumwebaze, examined affidavits, DR forms, audio recordings, and village voter registers.
Their analysis centered on whether the election had been conducted in accordance with the party’s electoral guidelines and whether any irregularities substantially affected the outcome.In its ruling, the Tribunal
in a panel headed by Diana Kasabiiti has found merit in Hudu Hussein’s claims regarding falsified DR forms in Doko and Bwana cells. In Doko, for instance, the total number of votes had been suspiciously inflated from 105 to 405, and the tally for Nangoli was increased by 200 votes.
A similar alteration occurred in Bwana cell, where Nangoli’s result was unlawfully inflated from 42 to 142 votes.Accordingly, these discrepancies have led to the deduction of 300 votes from Nangoli’s tally.
The Tribunal has also nullified the results from four polling stations Bumuluya cell, Namabasa 5(A) cell, Kibumbire, and Namabasa III A cell on grounds that the total number of votes exceeded the number of registered voters. This has however affected all candidates, and deductions made accordingly.
However, several other claims by Hudu Hussein were rejected due to insufficient evidence or lack of supporting documentation, including alleged vote tampering in Kinyole A and B and intimidation in Kagwa cell.
The Tribunal also noted inconsistencies in the petitioner’s own evidence, including a recorded audio where he was heard allegedly attempting to induce a witness with a promised political appointment.Despite these weaknesses, the Tribunal ruled that the proven irregularities in the polling stations had substantially altered the outcome of the election.
The final adjusted vote tally has thus given Hudu Hussein 20,898 votes, against Nangoli’s 20,562, there by reversing the original result and giving Hudu Hussein a 336-vote lead.Citing Regulation 44 of the NRM Election Regulations 2025, which empowers the Tribunal to declare a different winner if electoral irregularities are proven to have materially affected the result, the panel ruled in favour of Mr. Hussein.
The Tribunal has allowed Hudu Hussein’s petition and the declaration of Umar Nangoli as the NRM flag bearer has been set aside, and Hudu Hussein declared the duly elected NRM flag bearer for Member of Parliament for Mbale City Northern Division Constituency.
“Under regulation 44(4) of the same regulations, the Tribunal may, after due inquiry. declare that a candidate other than the candidate declared was validly elected or set aside the election and order a new election. In the instant case, the margin between the Petitioner and Respondent was only 591 votes. This margin has been successfully extinguished and surpassed by the Petitioner who now leads with a margin of 336 votes. The Petitioner is declared winner of the election for NRM flag bearer for Member of Parliament, Mbale City Northern Division Constituency, Mbale District”, reads the decision.
Speaking to Our Reporter, Hudu Hussein has welcomed the decision and thanked the Tribunal for finding out the truth and upholding the will of the voters in Mbale City.
Hudu Hussein will now compete with other candidates that will have been fronted by other political parties in 2026 general elections.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
