Ngime Petition Hearing Ends

Feb 18, 2002

THE hearing of the final submissions in the Ngoma Ngime petition over the Mbarara Municipality election ended yesterday at the Kampala High Court.

By Solomon MuyitaTHE hearing of the final submissions in the Ngoma Ngime petition over the Mbarara Municipality election ended yesterday at the Kampala High Court.Justice Vincent Kagaba, presiding over the case, said he would communicate to all parties the date for the judgement and place at an appropriate time. “I have quite a lot of papers to go through, but also know the deadline of June 31. So I have to deliver this judgement in the shortest possible time,” he said.Earlier, Ngime’s lawyers, Kiryowa Kiwanuka and Muzamil Kibedi, had asked court to nullify the Mbarara Municipality elections, in which the incumbent MP Winnie Byanyima emerged winner.But Byanyima’s lawyer, Ngaruye Ruhindi and Oryem Okello, representing the Electoral Commission and the Mbarara Returning Officer (both first respondents), told court last week to dismiss the petition with costs, saying it had no merit.All parties were present in court yesterday. Fox Odoi, the legal assistant to President Yoweri Museveni, was also present. He told The New Vision that he had “come to give moral support” to Ngime.Kibedi told the court that Ngime had produced enough evidence to indicate that 663 registered voters were either denied voter’s cards, refused to vote or disenfranchised.Ends

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