Masaka: National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Rose Nalubowa has withdrawn multiple High Court applications challenging the vote recount that overturned her initial victory in the Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament race, after presiding judge Justice Simon Peter Kinobe declined to step aside from the proceedings.
Nalubowa, through her lawyers led by Samuel Muyizzi, had filed several applications seeking to review the court-supervised recount that declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Justine Nameere the winner.
The applications also sought to block Nameere’s gazettement and obtain administrative orders connected to the disputed election outcome.
Before the applications could be heard, Nalubowa’s legal team requested Justice Kinobe to recuse himself from the matter, arguing that his alleged past involvement in partisan political activities created a perception of bias.
The judge declined to step aside and indicated he would continue presiding over the case.
Following the ruling, Nalubowa’s lawyers informed court that they were withdrawing all pending applications. Justice Kinobe accepted the withdrawal and directed that each party bears its own legal costs, noting the public-interest nature of the case.
Speaking after the proceedings, Nalubowa described the withdrawal as a strategic move, saying her legal team intends to pursue a substantive election petition before another judge.
She maintained that the recount process was flawed and raised concerns about the handling of election materials and vote tallying procedures.
Nameere welcomed the withdrawal and urged her rival to accept the outcome and allow constituents to move forward.
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The legal dispute stems from a dramatic reversal in the January 2026 election results. Nalubowa had initially been declared the winner by the Electoral Commission, but a court-ordered recount conducted under the supervision of Masaka Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe later showed Nameere leading with 25,502 votes against Nalubowa’s 23,176, overturning the earlier declaration.
With the applications now withdrawn, attention is expected to shift to a fresh election petition that could prolong the legal contest over the Masaka City Woman MP seat.
 candidate Justine Nameere the winner.){kind=link}