Museveni to Court: Trash Kasibante Petition With Costs

Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss with costs a presidential election petition filed by his challenger, Robert Kasibante, arguing that the case is legally defective, unsupported by evidence, and fails to meet the constitutional threshold required to overturn an election.

In his response filed before the court, Museveni maintains that Kasibante’s petition does not disclose any valid cause of action under the Constitution or the Presidential Elections Act. He denies all allegations raised in the petition, save for those expressly admitted, and insists that the 2026 presidential election was conducted in substantial compliance with the law.

Kasibante is challenging Museveni’s declaration as the duly elected President of the Republic of Uganda following the January 17, 2026 polls. In his petition, Kasibante accuses Museveni and the Electoral Commission (EC) of presiding over an election marred by widespread irregularities, including voter bribery, intimidation, violence, abuse of state resources, and systemic non-compliance with electoral laws.

Through his lawyers, Anthony Bazira and Usaama Sebuufu (C), Museveni contends that Kasibante has failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the claims

According to the petition, the Electoral Commission declared Museveni the winner of the election with 7,946,772 votes, while opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu was announced as the runner-up with 2,741,238 votes.

However, Museveni contends that Kasibante has failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the claims or to demonstrate that any alleged irregularities substantially affected the outcome of the election. He further argues that the petition is speculative, based on generalized accusations, and does not meet the strict legal standards required in a presidential election challenge.

The Supreme Court is expected to determine whether the petition raises triable issues and whether the alleged violations, if proven, warrant nullification of the presidential election.