NRM candidate Birungi Jackline Kobusingye has withdrawn her election petition challenging the victory of National Unity Platform’s Harriet Nakwedde in the Kayunga District Woman Member of Parliament election.
The matter came before Justice Godfrey Himbaza at the High Court in Mukono, where Kobusingye’s lawyer, Isaac Nambijja Kiwanuka, informed the court on Wednesday that his client was no longer able to pursue the case.
Kiwanuka attributed the decision to personal difficulties faced by Kobusingye, including the recent death of her father and an ongoing succession dispute over his estate. He said the circumstances had left her unable to continue with both legal matters.
The lawyer asked the court to allow the withdrawal without ordering Kobusingye to pay costs, proposing that each party bear its own expenses. He noted that Nakwedde had not filed an affidavit in reply and that there was no objection to the withdrawal from her side.
Nakwedde’s lawyers, Andrew Wabwezi of WAK Advocates and Derrick Ruzima of PACE Advocates, supported the application and agreed that Kobusingye should not be ordered to pay costs.
However, Wabwezi told the court that Kobusingye had first sought a recount of votes at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kayunga, but the application was dismissed. She subsequently filed a revision, which was later withdrawn, before lodging the election petition in the High Court.
He said the defence had raised several points of law that could have led to the dismissal of the petition.
“Upon realising that we had put up a legal brick wall and facing imminent collapse of their petition, they took the only legal path left and that was to withdraw the petition entirely,” Wabwezi told the court.
He described the withdrawal as a vindication of Nakwedde’s election.
Addressing the court, Nakwedde said she had forgiven Kobusingye and would not seek any payment from her.
She said the legal dispute had taken the parties through several stages, beginning with the recount application, followed by a revision and eventually the High Court petition.
“My opponent finally realised she couldn’t make it. So she came and applied that she be allowed to withdraw the petition. So finally today, the case has been withdrawn and the judge has pronounced once again that I was a duly elected woman member of parliament,” Nakwedde said.
She thanked God and the people of Kayunga for their support, adding that she was ready to serve them.
Nakwedde also said she had surrendered the outcome of the legal battle to God from the beginning and had no intention of pursuing costs against her former challenger.
“For me, I forgive them. I don’t need any court… I forgive Birungi Jacqueline as the woman member of parliament, Kayunga, and also as the person Nakwedde Harriet. So no problem. We can make life continue,” she said.
The Electoral Commission, however, took a different position on the issue of costs.
Its lawyers, Kevin Amojong and Idris Kiwanuka Umar, asked the court to order Kobusingye to pay the Commission’s costs, arguing that the petition had consumed judicial time and resources.
They further submitted that the case would have failed even if it had proceeded to a full hearing because of what they described as several legal weaknesses. They argued that awarding costs would help discourage frivolous litigation.
Justice Himbaza granted Kobusingye’s application to withdraw the petition and confirmed Harriet Nakwedde as the duly elected Woman Member of Parliament for Kayunga District.
The judge scheduled Friday for a ruling on whether Kobusingye should pay the Electoral Commission’s costs. The decision will be based on the record in the Electronic Court Management Information System.
Nakwedde was declared the winner of the January 15, 2026 election with 20,753 votes. Independent candidate and former MP Aidah Nantaba came second with 16,138 votes, while Kobusingye received 15,790 votes.
Before filing the High Court petition, Kobusingye had challenged the results at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kayunga, seeking a recount of votes from selected polling stations. The application was dismissed after the court found that the declaration forms relied upon had not been certified by the Electoral Commission.
The withdrawal brings to an end Kobusingye’s legal challenge to the Kayunga Woman MP election results.
