By Henry Okello
TORORO
The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Tororo has dismissed a petition seeking a vote recount in the hotly contested West Budama County North parliamentary race, where the incumbent NRM candidate, Maxi Ochai was declared winner by a razor-thin margin of just four votes.
Presiding Chief Magistrate, Irene Nambatya, on Wednesday, 28th January, 2026 ruled that the application filed by runner-up, Richard Othieno Okoth lacked merit, effectively shutting down the recount bid.
Ochai had been declared winner with 12,259 votes against Othieno’s 12,255 in the January 15 polls.
Othieno had argued that falsification of results and numerical errors marred the tallying process, insisting that a recount would expose discrepancies.
However, the court found his application defective, particularly because his legal team sought a recount across all polling stations instead of the four specific stations he had highlighted.
Among the disputed stations were Rock Hill Primary School, where Othieno claims 273 votes in his favor were omitted from the final tally, and Bolimoo polling station in Nagongera Sub-county, where he alleges his results were deleted.
Following the ruling, the NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson vowed to defend every party flag bearer in similar challenges, though he noted it was “unfortunate” that Othieno was not awarded costs.
Othieno, while blaming his lawyers for the missteps, welcomed the court’s decision as the beginning of a larger battle.
He said he is now preparing for the “main application” once the winner is gazetted, promising supporters that he is confident of overturning the result.
“This is just the start,” Othieno told reporters. “We are calm, focused, and ready for the next phase.”
The dismissal of the petition effectively upholds Maxi Ochai as the duly elected Member of Parliament for West Budama County North Constituency.
