Kizza Besigye will have to wait for another 5 years to try his luck after Supreme Court disappointed him again. On Thursday 31 March, 2016, Uganda’s highest court upheld President Museveni’s election, indicating that he was duly elected by majority of Ugandan people.
All the nine justices of the Supreme Court unanimously agreed to have the 2016 election petition dismissed, marking the end of the long awaited ruling.
Court dismissed calls for vote recounts or annulment of the presidential election saying; that while court can’t uphold an illegitimate election, “court should not rush to tamper with results that reflect the free will of the majority”.
The court also clarified that the Electoral Commission was within the law to declare Museveni the winner within 48 hours.
“Museveni was already a clear winner with over 50%” of the cast ballots and hence court found that EC flouted no laws in declaring Museveni the duly elected president.
Meanwhile, Several Ugandans took to the streets on Thursday to protest Kizza Besigye’s house arrest, arguing that the “man of God” has not done anything wrong to warrant such mistreatment.