The Judiciary has deployed 100 judicial officers to handle 346 parliamentary and Local Council election petitions arising from Uganda’s 2026 General Elections.
The petitions are pending before 30 High Court circuits, the High Court Civil Division and 26 Chief Magistrates’ Courts.
The deployment comprises 48 High Court judges who will handle 157 petitions, while 52 Chief Magistrates have been assigned 189 cases.
Hearings before the High Court will begin on Monday, September 14, 2026, and run until Friday, November 13. Petitions before the Chief Magistrates’ Courts will commence on September 21 and are expected to conclude by October 30.
In Administrative Circular No. 5 of 2026, Principal Judge Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo directed the assigned judges to give the election petitions their full attention and avoid other commitments that could interfere with the hearing programme.
During the period, election petitions will take precedence over ordinary judicial assignments.
Masaka High Court has the highest number of petitions, with five judges assigned to hear 21 cases. The Civil Division follows with 17 petitions allocated to four judges, while Mukono High Court has 14 petitions to be handled by three judges.
Iganga High Court has three judges assigned to 13 petitions, while Mbarara High Court has three judges handling 10 cases. Wakiso High Court also has 10 petitions, which will be handled by two judges.
Among the Chief Magistrates’ Courts, Makindye has the highest caseload, with 31 petitions assigned to eight judicial officers. Kawempe follows with 20 petitions to be handled by five Chief Magistrates.
Nabweru has 17 petitions assigned to four officers, while Mengo has 16 petitions to be handled by four officers. Kira has 15 petitions.
The Principal Judge also directed the judicial officers to adopt firm and effective case-management measures to ensure the petitions are handled expeditiously.
“Cases should be fixed promptly and, where practicable, heard on consecutive days. Unnecessary adjournments should be avoided, interlocutory applications handled expeditiously and court directions strictly enforced,” Abodo said.
The Judiciary’s move is aimed at ensuring the timely disposal of disputes arising from the 2026 General Elections.
