The Hoima Chief Magistrate’s Court, George Kunihira, has ordered an immediate recount of votes cast in the election for National Female Youth Representative to Parliament held on February 6, 2026, at Hoima City Stadium.
The Electoral Commission of Uganda had declared Mercy Kanyesigye the winner after she polled 216 votes on an independent ticket.
Diana Kampe Ampaire of the National Resistance Movement came second with 198 votes, while Julia Muhumuza, an independent candidate, secured 24 votes. Edith Namande Nakayiza of the National Unity Platform trailed with one vote, according to results announced by Kampala District Returning Officer Jennifer Kyobutungi. However, Ampaire challenged the outcome, filing Miscellaneous Cause No. 06 of 2026 against Kanyesigye, the Electoral Commission, and the Returning Officer, citing alleged irregularities in the tallying process.
Through an affidavit sworn in Kampala by her lawyers from Factum Advocates, Ampaire argued that the results did not reflect the true outcome of the election. She alleged that several votes cast in her favour were wrongly recorded as votes for Kanyesigye. She further claimed that the Presiding Officer, Ivan Munanura, conducted the vote count in a manner that misallocated her votes and that the figures recorded on the Declaration of Results Form did not correspond with the actual ballots cast.
Ampaire also stated that she and her polling agents, Sharon Aketowanga and Collins Turyahebwa, raised complaints during the counting process, but their concerns were ignored. She added that her formal requests for a recount before the official declaration were denied and that the Returning Officer refused to acknowledge receipt of her written complaint.
Following the declaration of results, Ampaire wrote to the Electoral Commission and the Returning Officer requesting certified copies of the Declaration of Results Form and the Return Form for Transmission of Results, which she says were never provided. The petition sought a court-supervised recount of all votes cast, issuance of a certificate of recount, and costs of the application.
During the hearing, which began last Friday, Kunihira adjourned the matter to Tuesday. In his ruling delivered Tuesday afternoon, the magistrate ordered a recount of all votes cast, noting that Ampaire and her polling agents had raised genuine concerns during the counting process, which were ignored by both the Presiding Officer and the Returning Officer.
He observed that by denying the applicant and her agents an opportunity to be heard, electoral officials committed a serious error. He added that the Electoral Commission ought to have addressed the complaints raised during the counting process. Kunihira further noted that despite Ampaire’s request for certified copies of key election documents after the declaration of results, the Commission failed to provide them. He ruled that the evidence presented in court indicated irregularities in the vote-counting process, forming a sufficient basis for a recount.
The court has ordered the Electoral Commission to immediately deliver the ballot box containing all voting materials used in the February 6 election to facilitate the recount process.
