By Johnson Kanyesige
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal has released a cause list for the first batch of petitions arising from the party’s parliamentary primary elections, with 56 cases set for hearing on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. The hearings will take place simultaneously before eight panels at the Tribunal offices in Nakasero, Kampala.
The petitions follow the NRM primary elections held on July 17, which generated a total of 381 formal complaints from aggrieved party members. Tribunal Chairperson, City Lawyer John Musiime, said this marks the beginning of formal adjudication of disputes concerning the selection of parliamentary flag bearers.
In a notice issued on Sunday, Musiime confirmed that petitioners had been instructed to serve their respondents with copies of the petitions. The cause list serves as an additional notification to respondents who have not yet received petitions, advising them to obtain copies from the Tribunal Registry at Plot 30, Kyadondo Road, Nakasero.
The Tribunal stressed that failure to respond will not delay proceedings or decisions. Among the 56 petitions scheduled for Tuesday is Oscar Nkotanyi’s challenge against Bruce Balaba in Rubanda West Constituency. Other notable cases include George Stephen Kagaba contesting Alex Ruhunda’s selection in Fort Portal City Central Division, and Lunyoro Aisha Sylvia disputing Mukhaye Miriam Massa Wangisi’s nomination in Mbale District.
Additional hearings will feature Emorut Okumu John against incumbent MP John Mulimba in Samia Bugwe North, Busia District; Alex Niyonsaba versus Sam Bitangaro in Bufumbiro South, Kisoro District; and Mukesh Shuklah Babubhai challenging Herbert Anderson Burora in Nakawa West. Other petitioners include Patricia Magara against Kalume Ababubaker in Katikamu South, Luwero District; Rose Nalongo Kirabira versus Beth Nankunda Kayesu in Wakiso District; and Rachael Magoola contesting Aminah Mutesi Nalugoda in Bugweri District. In Ntungamo, Beatrice Rwakimari is disputing Nkwasibwe Henry Zinkuratire’s victory.
Noteworthy is the joint petition by Nebanda Florence and Agatha Sarah Muloki against Logose Sarah Annet in Butaleja District, and Sylvia Rwabwogo’s challenge of Linda Irene, Fort Portal City Woman MP. The cause list also includes petitions from constituencies across Apac Municipality, Napak, Oyam North, Agago West, and Ngora. Many petitioners are incumbent MPs who lost in the primaries.
The Tribunal emphasized that parties should appear only on their allocated dates and times. Cases not included in this notice will be communicated separately. Last Friday, Tribunal Chairperson John Musiime, alongside NRM Director of Legal Affairs Lawyer Enoch Barata, told journalists in Kampala that the Tribunal will conduct its work fairly and expeditiously, pledging to deliver all decisions by September 1, 2025.
To manage logistics, each party is advised to limit attendance to no more than five persons due to limited space and parking at the hearing venue. While 56 cases are scheduled for Tuesday, an equal number will be heard daily thereafter from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The petitions cover a broad range of electoral issues, including allegations of vote rigging, multiple voting, obstruction and intimidation of polling agents, and claims of ineligible candidates contesting.
Many complaints also cite procedural irregularities during voting and tallying. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Chairman of the NRM Party, appointed Lawyer Musiime and 28 other lawyers on July 17 to oversee the hearing of election complaints. He explained that Dr. Tanga Odoi, Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, who organized the elections, cannot also preside over complaints about the conduct of those elections.
