Former Member of Parliament Veronica Nannyondo, the petitioner challenging the election of Bukomansimbi District Woman MP Ruth Katushabe, has protested what she alleges was the forgery of her signatures and alteration of affidavits filed on the court record.
Nannyondo, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate in the election, has, through her lawyers, accused officials at the Masaka High Court Registrar’s Office of tampering with documents submitted as part of her election petition in an alleged attempt to have the case dismissed.
The allegations emerged during proceedings in which Katushabe, through her lawyer Isingoma Kuteesa, raised a preliminary objection seeking to have the entire petition struck out.
Kuteesa argued that some of Nannyondo’s declarations and affidavits had been filed before they were properly certified by a Commissioner for Oaths. He contended that the alleged defects and inconsistencies rendered the petition non-compliant with the law.
Nannyondo’s lawyer, Brian Sodo, rejected the claims, maintaining that the petition had been properly prepared, certified and filed.
Sodo questioned how certification marks and signature pages could have disappeared from affidavits that, according to his client, were complete when they were submitted to court.
He told the court that an examination of the original petition on the court file revealed what he described as signs of tampering, including the removal of pages that subsequently made some affidavits appear incomplete.
Sodo also raised questions about discrepancies in the receiving stamps appearing on copies of the petition supplied to the parties.
According to him, although the complete petition was presented to and received by the court on the same day, some pages bear receiving stamps dated March 16, while others are stamped March 17, 2026.
The court was subsequently asked to summon Deputy Registrar Loy Karungi to explain the discrepancies.
In her testimony, Karungi denied any wrongdoing. She explained that her official stamp slipped while she was receiving the documents, resulting in some pages being stamped with different dates.
Nannyondo, however, asked Justice Kania to order an investigation into the conduct of the Deputy Registrar, alleging irregularities and abuse of office.
She further alleged that some signatures appearing on the affidavits had been forged and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
The allegations and counter-allegations remain subject to the court’s determination.
Justice Kania adjourned the matter to Saturday, September 26, when the court is expected to deliver its ruling on the disputed documents and Katushabe’s preliminary objection.
