The Tororo Chief Magistrate’s Court has dismissed an application by the incumbent Tororo District Woman Member of Parliament, Sarah Achieng Opendi, seeking a vote recount in 11 polling stations, effectively confirming Angella Akoth as the duly elected Woman MP.
The ruling was delivered on by Chief Magistrate Irene Nambatya, who held that the integrity of the ballot boxes in question had been compromised, rendering a recount legally and practically impossible.
In her decision, Magistrate Nambatya noted that two of the 11 ballot boxes presented before court had broken seals, while four others showed visible signs of physical tampering on their sides. She ruled that once the security and integrity of ballot boxes are compromised, any recount arising from them cannot be trusted.
“Where the integrity of ballot boxes is in doubt, the credibility of any recount exercise is fatally undermined,” the magistrate held, adding that proceeding under such circumstances would produce unreliable results.
Opendi had petitioned the court citing alleged irregularities and discrepancies in the electoral process, particularly during the tallying of votes at the Tororo Electoral Commission offices on January 15, 2026. She argued that a recount of votes from the affected polling stations would clarify the true outcome of the election.
However, the court found that the condition of the ballot boxes failed to meet the legal threshold required for a recount, leading to the dismissal of the application.
The decision effectively upholds Angella Akoth’s election as Tororo District Woman MP and brings to a close the immediate post-election legal challenge surrounding the race.
