Nakifuma MP-elect thrown out
Feb 27, 2011
MUKONO district returning officer, Francis Nkurunziza on Saturday declared Eng. Kafeero Ssekitooleko (Independent) Member of Parliament for Nakifuma county.
By Henry Nsubuga
MUKONO district returning officer, Francis Nkurunziza on Saturday declared Eng. Kafeero Ssekitooleko (Independent) Member of Parliament for Nakifuma county.
The announcement came after Ssekitooleko’s challenge of the first declared results which had given the incumbent, Joseph Mugambe Kifomusana (NRM) a win.
Ssekitooleko said Nkurunziza had only considered results from 138 polling stations, ignoring three polling stations in which he had defeated Mugambe.
The three polling stations are Kyegalaso, Bubiro/Nenyodde/Buziranduulu and Kaamakaganjo, whose polling officers filed in empty declaration forms.
On Friday, Mukono chief magistrate Mary Ikiti ordered Nkurunziza to re-count the votes from the three polling stations and add them to the ones he had first declared.
She also ordered him to announce the results and declare the winner on Saturday.
Nkurunziza first announced Mugambe the winner with 12,843 votes and Ssekitooleko with 12,616. After the recount, Ssekitooleko got 13,178 while Mugambe got 13,164.
After the declaration of the Saturday results, Mugambe also challenged them saying Ssekitooleko could not be declared winner basing on The Parliamentary Elections Act.
In a written petition to the returning officer, Mugabe said if a recount was done and the winner failed to win with a margin of 50 votes and above, a mandatory recount had to be conducted.
In this case, Ssekitooleko only won with only 14 vote difference.
Nkurunziza, however, refused to consider Mugabe’s request, saying he had conducted the exercise on court orders that required him to recount the votes, get the winner and declare him without considering any other excuses.
He advised him to go to court if he was he disgruntled with the declaration of Ssekitooleko as the MP for Nakifuma county.
Ssekitooleko was received by his supporters outside Mukono community centre hall where they had waited during the recount. They lifted him up and proceeded to Nakifuma constituency by foot.
Nakifuma parliamentary race had nine candidates but the stiff competition was between Ssekitooleko and Mugambe.
Three polling officers were arrested and detained at Nakifuma Police Station awaiting commitment to court, over electoral offences.
MUKONO district returning officer, Francis Nkurunziza on Saturday declared Eng. Kafeero Ssekitooleko (Independent) Member of Parliament for Nakifuma county.
The announcement came after Ssekitooleko’s challenge of the first declared results which had given the incumbent, Joseph Mugambe Kifomusana (NRM) a win.
Ssekitooleko said Nkurunziza had only considered results from 138 polling stations, ignoring three polling stations in which he had defeated Mugambe.
The three polling stations are Kyegalaso, Bubiro/Nenyodde/Buziranduulu and Kaamakaganjo, whose polling officers filed in empty declaration forms.
On Friday, Mukono chief magistrate Mary Ikiti ordered Nkurunziza to re-count the votes from the three polling stations and add them to the ones he had first declared.
She also ordered him to announce the results and declare the winner on Saturday.
Nkurunziza first announced Mugambe the winner with 12,843 votes and Ssekitooleko with 12,616. After the recount, Ssekitooleko got 13,178 while Mugambe got 13,164.
After the declaration of the Saturday results, Mugambe also challenged them saying Ssekitooleko could not be declared winner basing on The Parliamentary Elections Act.
In a written petition to the returning officer, Mugabe said if a recount was done and the winner failed to win with a margin of 50 votes and above, a mandatory recount had to be conducted.
In this case, Ssekitooleko only won with only 14 vote difference.
Nkurunziza, however, refused to consider Mugabe’s request, saying he had conducted the exercise on court orders that required him to recount the votes, get the winner and declare him without considering any other excuses.
He advised him to go to court if he was he disgruntled with the declaration of Ssekitooleko as the MP for Nakifuma county.
Ssekitooleko was received by his supporters outside Mukono community centre hall where they had waited during the recount. They lifted him up and proceeded to Nakifuma constituency by foot.
Nakifuma parliamentary race had nine candidates but the stiff competition was between Ssekitooleko and Mugambe.
Three polling officers were arrested and detained at Nakifuma Police Station awaiting commitment to court, over electoral offences.