The Judiciary has assigned 100 judicial officers to handle 346 parliamentary and local council election petitions pending before 30 High Court circuits, the Civil Division and 26 Chief Magistrates Courts.
According to a joint press statement issued on September 12, 2026, by Judiciary Communications Officer His Worship James Ereemye Mawanda and Principal Communications Officer Sheila Wamboga, the judicial officers include 48 High Court judges who will handle 157 petitions, while 52 Chief Magistrates will handle 189 petitions.
The hearings for petitions before the High Court will commence on Monday, September 14, 2026, and run until November 13, 2026.
Petitions before the Chief Magistrates Courts will start on September 21, 2026, and are expected to be concluded by October 30, 2026.
The petitions arise from the 2026 General Elections.
In Administrative Circular No. 5 of 2026, Principal Judge Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo urged the assigned judicial officers 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 handle 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 been assigned three judges to handle 13 petitions, while Mbarara High Court has three judges allocated to 10 petitions. Wakiso High Court also has 10 petitions, which will be handled by two judges.
Among the Chief Magistrates Courts, Makindye has the highest number of petitions, with 31 cases to be handled by eight judicial officers.
Kawempe follows with 20 petitions to be handled by five Chief Magistrates, while Nabweru has 17 petitions assigned to four officers. Mengo has 16 petitions with four officers handling them, while Kira has 15 petitions.
Justice Abodo also urged judicial officers to adopt firm and effective case-management measures to ensure the petitions are disposed of within the set timelines.
“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,” she said.
The Judiciary’s deployment of the judicial officers is aimed at ensuring that the election petitions are heard and determined efficiently within the stipulated timelines.
