The High Court in Soroti has set November 13, 2026, to deliver its judgment in an election petition filed by Philip Oucor challenging the election of Peter Ojiit as Member of Parliament for Pingire County in Serere District.
The petition, which also names the Electoral Commission as a respondent, challenges the outcome of the January 2026 parliamentary elections over alleged electoral irregularities.
Lady Justice Dr Ginamia Melody Ngwatu set the judgment date after lawyers representing Oucor informed the court that the parties had agreed to dispense with cross-examination of witnesses and instead rely on affidavits already filed in the case. The parties will now proceed to written submissions.
Oucor’s lead counsel, Tonny Tumukunde, said both sides had agreed to admit the affidavits and present their arguments through written submissions. He explained that neither side would cross-examine witnesses and that the judge would deliver the judgment in November after considering the written arguments.
Tumukunde argued that relying on affidavit evidence would neither complicate the case nor weaken the petition, noting that each side had presented more than 40 witnesses. He maintained that the parties’ confidence in their documents and witnesses would enable the court to determine the matter based on the evidence presented.
Oucor said he was satisfied with the way his legal team had presented his case, expressing confidence that the court would consider the evidence and allegations raised in the petition. He maintained that he had a strong case based on seven grounds, which he expected the court to examine before making its determination.
Oucor further alleged that the election in Pingire County was neither free nor fair, citing voter intimidation, violence and violations of electoral laws during the election period. He argued that the alleged irregularities were beyond his control as a candidate and that election officials had failed to comply with the Parliamentary Elections Act.
However, Ojiit’s legal team disputed the allegations and expressed confidence that the court would uphold the election results.
Isaac Ekirapa Obiro, who represents Ojiit, said his team had arrived in court prepared to cross-examine the petitioner’s witnesses but agreed to proceed with written submissions after Oucor’s lawyers proposed dispensing with cross-examination.
“We were ready to embarrass them today, but they became wise not to accept the cross-examination. However, we have agreed to this approach because we have enough evidence in the form of affidavits to show that Ojiit won the election and that the Electoral Commission did their job well. We have responded to every allegation against Ojiit in the affidavits,” Obiro said.
Obiro added that the respondents had filed 59 affidavits in response to Oucor’s allegations, which they intend to rely on when presenting their legal arguments.
“In reply, we have more affidavits than what they presented, and we are now ready to make our arguments based on the affidavit evidence,” he said.
Ojiit also expressed confidence that the court would uphold his election, arguing that voters in Pingire County had given him the mandate to represent them in Parliament. He dismissed Oucor’s allegations of election violence, insisting that no violence occurred in the constituency.
Ojiit dismissed the allegations of election violence, insisting that no violence had occurred in Pingire County. He also denied claims that declaration of results (DR) forms had been altered, arguing that he had no authority to influence presiding officers’ decisions on whether election agents were allowed to sign the forms.
During the January 2026 parliamentary elections, Ojiit was declared the winner of the Pingire County seat with 8,031 votes. Oucor came second with 5,475 votes, while Fred Opolot garnered 1,729 votes.
Oucor subsequently challenged the results in court, citing alleged irregularities that he says undermined the credibility of the election. The High Court is expected to determine the petition when it delivers its judgment on November 13, 2026.
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