The High Court of Uganda has dismissed a petition filed by former Aruu County MP Samuel Odonga-Otto, who challenged the election of Christopher Komakech as the new MP for the constituency. The petition was delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the High Court sitting in Patongo Town Council, Agago District. Justice Fatuma Nanziri Bwanika ruled that Odonga-Otto failed to prove that alleged electoral irregularities substantially affected the outcome of the January 2026 parliamentary election.
According to the court's findings, Komakech, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, was declared the winner with 10,455 votes, while Odonga-Otto, an independent candidate, polled 10,429 votes, a difference of 26 votes. The narrow margin had been the center of the court battle, with Odonga-Otto arguing that there were electoral irregularities that could have changed the outcome. However, Justice Bwanika found that the mere fact that the winning margin was only 26 votes was not enough to overturn the election.
This is not the first time the two politicians have been on opposing sides of election disputes. In 2021, Komakech first defeated Odonga-Otto, ending his long stay as Aruu County MP. Odonga-Otto challenged Komakech's election, arguing that he had not properly resigned from his employment as a psychiatric nurse at Butabika National Referral Hospital before contesting for Parliament. The Gulu High Court nullified Komakech's election and ordered fresh polls, but the Court of Appeal later overturned the High Court ruling, restoring Komakech as the duly elected MP.
In the January 2026 election, Odonga-Otto again lost to Komakech, this time by only 26 votes. Following the election, Odonga-Otto sought a recount at the Pader Chief Magistrate's Court, arguing that the margin was within the legal threshold for a mandatory recount. However, the recount application faced difficulties after the court inspected ballot boxes from six polling stations and found problems with their security.
The affected polling stations were Acholi Pit, Kilak, Bus Park, Adongkena, Lwala, and Kinene, where some ballot boxes had broken seals, while others had loose locks or open tops. Chief Magistrate Martins Kirya dismissed the recount application with costs, citing the compromised integrity of the election materials. Odonga-Otto then petitioned the High Court, asking it to overturn Komakech's victory.
Among his complaints was that Pader District Returning Officer Eric Gimei had failed to conduct a recount despite receiving his request. However, Justice Bwanika found that the Returning Officer had declared Komakech the winner at 12:48 pm, before acknowledging receipt of Odonga-Otto's recount request at 1:30 pm. The judge ruled that the Returning Officer could not conduct a recount after declaring the results.
The court dismissed the petition and awarded costs to Komakech, who had successfully defended his election. However, the Electoral Commission was not awarded costs due to the lapses identified in its handling of the ballot boxes. With the petition dismissed, Komakech remains the Aruu County MP.
Key points
- The High Court of Uganda upheld Christopher Komakech's election victory over Samuel Odonga-Otto.
- The court found that alleged electoral irregularities did not substantially affect the outcome of the January 2026 parliamentary election.
- This ruling brings an end to another round of legal battles between the two politicians over the Aruu County constituency.
