Kasibante appeals Supreme Court over Museveni’s Victory

KAMPALA,UGANDA; Peasants Party presidential candidate Robert Kasibante has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to overturn President Museveni’s re-election, citing extensive electoral malpractice, violence, and breaches of the law that he claims substantially affected the outcome of the January 15, 2026 poll.

In the petition filed under Article 104 of the Constitution and Section 61 of the Presidential Elections Act, Kasibante contends that the electoral process was marred by widespread illegality, violence, and administrative failures that, in his view, fundamentally distorted the outcome. He also disputes the declaration of Museveni as the duly elected president.

Kasibante, who placed sixth in the race, has named President Museveni, the Electoral Commission (EC), and the Attorney General as respondents. His court filing runs to more than 1,000 pages and argues that the election fell short of constitutional and statutory standards for a free and fair vote.

According to official results released by the EC on January 17, Museveni secured 7,946,772 votes, while Kasibante polled 33,440. Other candidates in the contest included National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi, Forum for Democratic Change’s Nathan Nandala Mafabi, and Alliance for National Transformation head Gen. Gregory Mugisha Muntu.

Among the central issues raised is the EC’s alleged failure to gazette 15,256 polling stations ahead of polling day. Kasibante claims these stations said to account for nearly a third of all polling centres were nonetheless used for voting, counting, and tallying, undermining transparency and preventing candidates from deploying agents to effectively monitor the process.

The petition further details claims of intimidation and violence throughout the campaign period, which Kasibante says disproportionately targeted opposition candidates. He alleges that he and others were subjected to harassment, teargas, and physical attacks by security forces.

One incident cited occurred on November 6, 2025, in Namisindwa District, where Kasibante says police and personnel from the Special Forces Command disrupted his campaign activities. He also references similar disruptions involving Robert Kyagulanyi, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, and Mubarak Munyagwa in different parts of the country.

Kasibante places ultimate responsibility on President Museveni in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, accusing the security services of partisan conduct. He alleges that security agencies interfered with opposition rallies, issued unlawful instructions to voters, and took an active role in the electoral process in favour of the incumbent.

Concerns over the Biometric Voter Verification (BVV) system also feature prominently in the petition. Kasibante argues that the devices were introduced without a clear legal framework, were susceptible to frequent breakdowns, and were neither independently tested nor audited with the participation of candidates. He claims repeated BVV failures forced officials to resort to manual verification, leading to delays and inconsistencies.

The petition also challenges the handling of results, pointing to alleged alterations of declaration forms, delayed transmission of tallies, mismatches between polling station and district figures, restricted access to tallying centres, and what he describes as the premature announcement of results.

In addition, Kasibante accuses President Museveni and his campaign operatives of voter bribery, alleging the distribution of cash and other inducements to influence voters during the campaign period.

As relief, Kasibante is asking the Supreme Court to find that Museveni was not validly elected, set aside the declared results, and order a new presidential election. He is also seeking a comprehensive audit of election returns and the BVV system, as well as an award of costs.

The Supreme Court is yet to issue directions on when the petition will be heard.