National Unity Platform (NUP) secretary general Lewis Rubongoya has announced plans to petition court over the outcome of the Kampala Central parliamentary race, which he lost to NRM’s Minsa Kabanda.
Rubongoya contested in the January 15 elections on the NUP ticket but was declared defeated after the Electoral Commission announced Kabanda as the winner with 22,332 votes against his 18,242.
He insists the results do not reflect the will of voters and claims the election was affected by widespread irregularities. Rubongoya alleges that ballot stuffing and vote manipulation were carried out in Kabanda’s favour, noting that she currently serves as Minister for Kampala.
According to Rubongoya, preliminary tallies from his team showed him leading in 17 of the 20 parishes in Kampala Central Division. He claims the outcome was later altered through interference with electoral officials, which he says denied him victory.
He further accused Kabanda of working with security personnel at key polling stations, including Summit View and Nakasero State House, to inflate votes. Rubongoya said his polling agents were blocked from accessing some of these stations, a move he believes was meant to facilitate the alleged malpractice.
Citing these concerns, Rubongoya says he will formally challenge Kabanda’s election in court. While acknowledging uncertainty over the outcome of the case, he said pursuing legal action is necessary to place the evidence on record and to defend the choices made by voters in Kampala Central.
