The High Court in Gulu has granted Tony Kitara, the former Laroo-Pece Division parliamentary candidate, additional time to serve his election petition against his rival Norbert Mao, the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
In a ruling delivered yesterday, Resident Judge Justice Philip Odoki allowed Kitara’s application to extend the statutory time for service and approved the use of the Daily Monitor newspaper to notify Mao of the petition after failed attempts at personal delivery.
Kitara, who contested for the Laroo-Pece Division parliamentary seat on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket petitioned the court on April 1 this year, challenging Mao’s victory in the January 15, 2026, polls.
According to the Electoral Commission, Mao polled 7,359 votes to defeat Kitara, who garnered 2,867 votes.
Through his lawyers, Caleb Alaka of Alaka & Co. Advocates and Evans Ochieng, Kitara argues that the election was marred by widespread irregularities that significantly affected the outcome.
Court records show that Kitara filed Election Petition No. 001 of 2026 on April 1, 2026, and immediately initiated efforts to personally serve Mao with the petition and notice of its presentation, as required under electoral laws.
However, an affidavit sworn by advocate Gitta Imran detailed several unsuccessful attempts to reach the minister.
The court consequently ordered that the first page of the petition and the notice of its presentation be published in the Daily Monitor newspaper and also be affixed on the court notice board.
Mao now has 10 days within which to file his response to the petition. Failure to do so will render him in default, paving the way for the court to proceed with hearing the case in his absence.
By URN
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