The Masaka Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered a vote recount in the hotly contested Kalungu West parliamentary election after independent candidate Ismail Ssemakula challenged his narrow defeat by just 46 votes to incumbent MP Joseph Gonzaga Ssewungu of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
Chief Magistrate Herbert Asiimwe issued the order following an application by Ssemakula, who alleged that the tallying process was marred by arithmetic errors, some of which he claims were deliberately made in favour of the incumbent. The court-directed recount is scheduled for Friday.
According to the Electoral Commission’s official results, Ssewungu was declared winner with 10,106 votes, narrowly edging Ssemakula, who garnered 10,069 votes. The results were announced on Saturday afternoon by the Kalungu District Returning Officer, Teddy Nabukenya, underscoring just how tight the race was in the Kalungu West Constituency.
Ssemakula is seeking a comprehensive review of all Declaration of Results (DR) forms from the 94 polling stations across the constituency. He argues that a verification of the figures is necessary to correct alleged discrepancies and ensure the integrity of the final outcome.
Other candidates in the race trailed at a distance, with Twaha Kiganda Ssonko of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) polling 2,212 votes, Michael Birimuye Matovu of the Democratic Front securing 555 votes, and James Barikuddembe of the Democratic Party obtaining 137 votes.
During the hearing, lawyers for Ssewungu, led by Caleb Alaaka, raised a preliminary objection, challenging the jurisdiction of the Masaka Magistrate’s Court. They argued that the matter should be handled by the Kalungu Magistrate’s Court instead.
However, Chief Magistrate Asiimwe dismissed the objection, noting that Kalungu District does not have a Chief Magistrate’s Court and only hosts lower courts, making Masaka the proper forum to hear the application.
The outcome of Friday’s recount is expected to determine whether the Electoral Commission’s declared results will stand or be revised, in what has become one of the closest parliamentary contests in the region.
