Gambling! Political Hustler Kasibante Chickens Out, Begs Court To Dustbin Petition Challenging Museveni Victory

By Frank Kamuntu

Former presidential candidate Robert Kasibante has applied to the Supreme Court of Uganda for permission to withdraw his petition challenging the outcome of the 2026 presidential election, citing prohibitive financial costs and the technical complexity involved in pursuing the case.

In a Notice of Motion filed before the court, Kasibante is seeking leave to withdraw Presidential Election Petition No. 1 of 2026, in which he sued President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Electoral Commission, and the Attorney General. He has also asked the court to allow the withdrawal of Miscellaneous Application No. 1 of 2026, which sought a comprehensive audit of election materials and electronic systems used during the polls.

The audit application had sought access to a wide range of electoral data, including declaration of results forms, biometric voter verification records, scanners, and electoral servers deployed across the country.

In his application, Kasibante argues that conducting such an audit would require processing an enormous volume of electronic data drawn from nationwide electoral operations. He states that the estimated cost of undertaking the exercise is extremely high and far beyond his financial means.

He further contends that the scale and technical sophistication of the data would necessitate the engagement of highly specialised and independent forensic experts, rendering the discovery process impractical within the tight timelines and framework governing presidential election petitions.

Kasibante has also requested the Supreme Court to order that each party bears its own legal costs arising from both the main petition and the related application.

The motion has been brought under Section 63 of the Presidential Elections Act, the Presidential Election Petitions Rules, and the inherent powers of the court. The Supreme Court has not yet fixed a date for hearing the application. If granted, the withdrawal would bring to an end one of the legal challenges arising from the 2026 presidential elections.

The application comes at a time when the Supreme Court was expected to deliver a ruling on Kasibante’s earlier request seeking access to back-end data relied upon by the Electoral Commission in declaring President Museveni the winner of the January 15, 2026, presidential election.

Court Had Framed Key Issues

Before the withdrawal request, the Supreme Court in Kampala had already outlined four key issues for determination in the main petition. The case was being heard by a nine-member panel of justices led by Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija.

Earlier this week, the court commenced the inter-partes hearing of the petition, in which Kasibante sought nullification of the election results, alleging widespread non-compliance with electoral laws and the commission of electoral malpractices.

The first issue framed by the court was whether there was non-compliance with the Presidential Elections Act and the Electoral Commission Act in the conduct of the 2026 polls. This included allegations of voting at un-gazetted polling stations, discrepancies between votes counted at polling stations and those transmitted, non-compliance with biometric voter verification regulations, failure to compile a credible voters’ register, and alleged partisan involvement of the army in the electoral process.

The second issue was whether any such non-compliance, if established, substantially affected the election results.

The third issue concerned whether electoral offences—particularly bribery and the use of derisive language—were committed, and whether these were attributable to President Museveni personally or to his agents acting with his knowledge or approval.

The final issue was whether the petitioner was entitled to the remedies sought, including nullification of the election.

On a related application, the court had confirmed that all parties had complied with filing directions and formally adopted their written submissions. A ruling on that application had been scheduled for February 6, 2026.

Strict Constitutional Timeline

Under Section 59 of the Presidential Elections Act, the Supreme Court is required to hear and determine a presidential election petition and deliver its judgment within 45 calendar days from the date of filing. Kasibante filed his petition on January 18, 2026, setting a strict constitutional deadline for the court’s final decision.