The High Court in Mpigi has nullified the election of Gomba East Member of Parliament Godfrey Ssaazi of the National Unity Platform (NUP), ordering the Electoral Commission to organise a fresh election. The ruling follows a petition challenging the results of the January 15, 2026, parliamentary elections, in which Ssaazi was declared the winner.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Jameson Karemani, the court found that irregularities at several polling stations had substantially affected the outcome of the election. The judge pointed to disruptions during voting and the destruction of electoral materials at nine polling stations, saying the incidents made it difficult to establish the true choice of voters in the affected areas.
The petition was filed by Ssaazi’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) rival, Kalule, who challenged the results over alleged electoral irregularities. Among the complaints was the omission of results from four polling stations, alongside disruptions that prevented voting and the proper handling of electoral materials at other locations.
During the proceedings, the court heard that the parties had agreed that results from the four omitted polling stations should be included in the final tally. Declaration forms presented before the judge showed that Kalule had received 453 votes from those stations, while Ssaazi had obtained 366 votes.
However, Justice Karemani ruled that the issue went beyond the omitted results. The destruction of electoral materials and disruption of voting at nine polling stations meant that the votes of 4,387 registered voters could not be reliably established, leaving uncertainty over the electoral choices of those affected.
The judge concluded that the failure to comply with electoral laws and principles had substantially affected the election results. He therefore set aside Ssaazi’s victory, declared the Gomba East parliamentary seat vacant and directed the Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh poll in accordance with the law.
The decision means voters in Gomba East will have another opportunity to choose their representative in Parliament. It also places responsibility on the Electoral Commission to organise a new election following the court’s findings on the conduct of the January contest.
The ruling marks a significant development in the constituency’s political contest, with the battle for the parliamentary seat expected to return to the ballot. The fresh election will determine who represents Gomba East, following the court’s decision that the disputed results could not stand because of the identified irregularities.
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