By Aggrey Baba
The election petition challenging the Nakawa East parliamentary results opened before the High Court’s Civil Division on Monday with NUP deputy spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro missing from court, despite a production warrant already issued for his appearance.
Justice Allan Nshimye, who presided over the mention, noted that Mufumbiro, who is being held at Luzira Upper Prison, was expected to be brought to court under the warrant and directed that he must be produced at the next sitting on Thursday.
Mufumbiro is challenging the Electoral Commission’s declaration of NRM’s Fredrick Ruhindi as the winner of the Nakawa East MP seat in the January 15th, 2026 election.
The development means the first court appearance in the petition was dominated not by the disputed election results, but by the question of getting the petitioner himself before the judge.
Outside court, Mufumbiro’s twin brother, Kenneth Kato Wilson, who effectively became the face of his campaign while the NUP leader was in prison, said the judge had taken the failure to produce his brother seriously.
“Despite having the production warrant, the prisons have failed to bring him to court today,” Kato said.
According to Kato, the judge had directed that Mufumbiro be brought to court on Thursday and would ensure that the production warrant is presented to Luzira Prison so that the petitioner can follow the proceedings.
Mufumbiro was arrested on September 8, 2025, days before parliamentary nominations, and charged with unlawful drills and conspiracy to commit a felony. He has remained on remand since then, with the criminal case still pending.
His prolonged incarceration meant that Mufumbiro entered the 2026 election campaign from behind the bars, forcing his win brother and supporters to campaign for him.
Kato was particularly central to that campaign, moving around Nakawa East to mobilize voters and sell his imprisoned twin brother’s candidature while Mufumbiro remained in Luzira. Contemporary reporting described Mufumbiro as one of the parliamentary candidates who had to run his campaign through relatives because he was incarcerated.
Despite the unusual campaign, the NUP candidate challenged the official result after the Electoral Commission declared Ruhindi the winner.
The petition is therefore seeking judicial scrutiny of the election result, with Mufumbiro maintaining that the result announced did not reflect the actual outcome of the contest.
Kato, speaking on his brother’s behalf, said the family and NUP supporters were confident that the court process would eventually establish what happened in Nakawa East.
“We believe Alex is the rightful candidate that won the election,” Kato said, adding that Mufumbiro was keen to have the petition heard expeditiously.
Ruhindi’s victory was significant for the NRM in Nakawa East, a constituency that had been represented by opposition politicians. The election was closely watched because Mufumbiro was campaigning against the backdrop of his imprisonment, while Kato and other supporters took over the physical mobilization on his behalf.
With Justice Nshimye directing that Mufumbiro be produced on Thursday, the petition is now expected to move forward with the petitioner physically present to follow the proceedings and instruct his lawyers. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
