The incumbent Member of Parliament for Bufumbira North, John Kamara Nizeyimana, has announced plans to appeal to the High Court following a ruling by the Kisoro Chief Magistrate’s Court dismissing his election petition.
The ruling was delivered on Saturday night by Chief Magistrate His Worship Patrick Bamuhiga after a marathon court session that lasted until about 9:00 p.m. under heavy security deployment.
The court dismissed with costs two applications filed by Kamara and former Bufumbira South MP, Sam Kwizera Bitangaro, both seeking recounts of votes from the January 15, 2026 parliamentary elections.
Kamara had petitioned the court under Section 74 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, challenging the victory of National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Fortunate Habyala Gatare in Bufumbira North.
Official results show that Gatare won with 8,374 votes against Kamara’s 8,289, while Democratic Party candidate Ngirarabakunzi Daniel polled 63 votes. Kamara alleged discrepancies on Declaration of Results forms at several polling stations, including Rutundwe Catholic Church and Bushunga Church of Uganda.
However, the defence raised a preliminary objection over improper service of court summons, arguing that Gatare had not been lawfully notified. The court rejected claims that service through WhatsApp constituted valid service and ruled that Kamara failed to comply with legally recognised procedures.
Magistrate Bamuhiga further held that the evidence presented was insufficient, unreliable and inconsistent with the law, and dismissed the application with costs, while advising Kamara to seek redress from the High Court.
In a separate ruling, the court dismissed Bitangaro’s application challenging the Bufumbira South parliamentary results, where NRM’s Alex Niyonsaba Seruganda was declared winner with 23,897 votes against Bitangaro’s 22,913, while Munyambabazi Adam polled 87 votes.
Bitangaro had cited alleged discrepancies across several polling stations in Kabuhungiro, Iryaruhuri, Buhayo, Ruatare, Bunagana, Chahi, Nyarusiza and Nyakinama.
Magistrate Bamuhiga ruled that the documents presented were not properly certified and that the evidence was misleading and insufficient to justify a recount, warning that granting such an application without credible proof would amount to abuse of court process. The petition was dismissed with costs, and Bitangaro was advised to appeal if dissatisfied.
Kamara vowed to proceed with a High Court appeal, noting that the court failed to give his lawyers sufficient time to present their case, which he described as a denial of his right to a fair hearing.
On his part, Seruganda welcomed the ruling and said he was prepared to defend his victory if an appeal is lodged. He further criticised the use of WhatsApp to serve court documents, describing it as illegal.
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