Lawyers Clash in Court Over Kigoma MP Election Case

Lawyers for petitioners in the Kigoma Urban parliamentary election case are requesting an extension to submit their witness statements, claiming they were given insufficient time. John Seka, representing the petitioners, informed the court on June 18, 2026, during the hearing of a minor application for an extension, that his clients could not submit the statements on time. The petitioners, Johary Kabourou, Loum Mwitu, Pendo Kombolela, and Luma Akilimali, are challenging the election of Clayton Revocatus Chipando, popularly known as Baba Levo, as the Member of Parliament for Kigoma Urban. They allege that the election, held on October 29, 2025, was marred by procedural violations, electoral law breaches, bribery, and religious discrimination by the second respondent, Baba Levo. The defense, represented by Daniel Rumenyela and Thomas Msasa, countered that the petitioners exhibited negligence and disregarded court orders. They argued that the affidavits supporting the extension request contained incurable legal defects. The court had previously scheduled the evidentiary hearing to commence on June 18, 2026, and had ordered the petitioners to submit their written witness statements 18 days prior, in accordance with Rule 21(2) of the 2025 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Regulations. Rule 21(3) further requires petitioners to submit witness statements to the registrar within 48 hours after the preliminary hearing. The petitioners filed their application for an extension on June 17, stating that the court's order regarding the timeline was based on the court's interpretation of the regulations.