The High Court in Kampala turned unexpectedly theatrical on Tuesday morning as Faridah Nambi Kigongo took the stand in the heated Kawempe North by-election petition—only for proceedings to pause over a missing calculator.
Nambi, the ruling NRM candidate, is challenging the election victory of NUP’s Elias Nalukoola Luyimbazi.
She became the first of ten witnesses approved for cross-examination by Justice Bernard Namanya, the presiding judge.
But just minutes into the session, tension mounted. Discrepancies in vote tallies from 14 polling stations prompted the court to halt proceedings and send for a scientific calculator.
Observers watched in near silence as the courtroom waited. In Ugandan football culture, a “calculator moment” is dreaded—usually signaling a last-ditch effort to qualify amid confusion. Now, it was Nambi facing that same moment, as her legal team tallied numbers to back her claims.
At the heart of Nambi’s case is her accusation that the March 13 by-election was compromised by bribery and irregularities.
She alleges that Nalukoola’s agents handed out money—between Shs5,000 and Shs10,000—to sway voters.
“I have affidavits from voters and polling agents who witnessed or participated in the bribery,” Nambi said under oath.
Her statements were backed by sworn evidence already submitted to court.
However, Nalukoola’s legal team is expected to push back hard. They plan to question the credibility of those affidavits, probing whether they reflect firsthand accounts or hearsay.
Nalukoola won the seat with 17,939 votes, according to the Electoral Commission. Nambi came second, and now hopes to overturn the result in what has been one of Kampala’s most competitive races.
On Monday, Justice Namanya rejected Nalukoola’s request to appeal a court decision limiting him to cross-examining only 10 of the 34 witnesses presented by Nambi.
Citing Section 63 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, the judge ruled that only final decisions—not interim ones—can be appealed in election petitions.
“Allowing interlocutory appeals would delay justice,” Justice Namanya ruled.
Nambi’s cross-examination of Nalukoola’s witnesses is scheduled for Thursday, May 15. The court’s 30-day deadline is ticking fast.
As the case nears conclusion, its implications stretch far beyond Kawempe North. A ruling in Nambi’s favour could reshape Kampala’s parliamentary dynamics, where the opposition NUP currently holds sway.
For now, it’s calculators, cross-examinations, and political stakes that define this tense chapter in Uganda’s democratic journey.
