The High court in Gulu has granted Tony Kitara, a former parliamentary candidate for Laroo-Pece Division, additional time to serve his election petition against his rival, Norbert Mao.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, April 20, resident judge Philip Odoki allowed Kitara’s application to extend the statutory time for service and approved substituted service through the Daily Monitor newspaper after failed attempts at personal delivery.
Kitara, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, filed the petition on April 1, 2026, challenging Mao’s victory in the January 15 general election.
According to the Electoral Commission, Mao secured 7,359 votes, defeating Kitara, who garnered 2,867. Through his lawyers, Caleb Alaka of Alaka & Co. Advocates and Evans Ochieng, Kitara argues that the election was marred by widespread irregularities that substantially affected the outcome.
Court records show that Kitara filed Election Petition No. 001 of 2026 and immediately sought to personally serve Mao with the petition and notice of its presentation, as required by law.
However, an affidavit sworn by advocate Imran Gitta detailed unsuccessful attempts to reach the minister, including unanswered phone calls, failed WhatsApp contact, and a visit to his office at the ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Kampala, which was found closed.
Under electoral law, a petitioner must serve the respondent within three days of filing. Where this is not possible, the court may permit substituted service upon proof that reasonable efforts to effect personal service have been exhausted.
In his ruling, justice Odoki held that Kitara had demonstrated sufficient effort to serve the respondent and provided a reasonable explanation for the delay, noting that the statutory period fell within the Easter public holidays.
“The applicant has ably explained… that all reasonable efforts have been made to effect personal service on the respondent but without success… I therefore find that this application has merit and is accordingly granted,” the judge ruled.
The court ordered that the first page of the petition and the notice of its presentation be published in the Daily Monitor and also affixed on the court notice board. Mao was directed to obtain the full petition from the court registry.
The court further ruled that costs of the application will be determined at the conclusion of the main petition. Kitara welcomed the decision, saying it clears the way for the substantive hearing of his case.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Mao, who is also president general of the Democratic Party, were unsuccessful by press time. Mao now has 10 days to file his response. Failure to do so may result in the court proceeding with the petition in his absence.
It sounds stupid, if this man genuinely won the election for Laroo-Pece, why should he hide
In other words, how will Kitara handle Mr. Hare who has already secured a bag of roasted G/nuts as the price to cut Mr. Obibi’s overgrown hair?
Indeed such Uganda dodgy electoral practices of democracy are typical of the historical political party of the DP! The first DP General Secretary (Chairman) started it all. The British government that was the Protectorate of the Kingdom state of Buganda up to around 1960 requested Mr Benedict Kiwanuka to accept the declared independence of the Kingdom state of Buganda without any success. By international law the Lukiiko of the Kingdom state of Buganda had declared its sovereignty against the country of Britain 1959/60. Benedict declined as the first Prime Minister of Uganda and demanded democratic national elections for all the provinces of this country. What followed is the horrible history of this country. Of course the Ganda Kingdom declined until this African tribal man Obote put on a Kanzu and approached the kind King of Buganda for de-escalation. Currently, many politicians these days demand electoral reforms if this country continues to stay united. Unfortunately every body can see very clearly the political miserly of a political party and its current General Secretary(Chairman) that wishes Democracy for all the people of this country!!