New army MP elected
Jun 16, 2005
BRIG. Andrew Gutti, the UPDF Director for Operations and Training, was yesterday elected to replace Brig. Henry Tumukunde as an army representative in Parliament.
By Anne Mugisa and Hillary Kiirya
BRIG. Andrew Gutti, the UPDF Director for Operations and Training, was yesterday elected to replace Brig. Henry Tumukunde as an army representative in Parliament.
Gutti defeated former health minister Dr. James Makumbi, who is the Director of Medical Services in the UPDF and Maj. Annette Nkalubo, a former Army MP in the 6th Parliament. Gutti polled 85 votes against 72 of Makumbi and six for Nkalubo, a lawyer.
Gutti, who worked as commander of the UPDF Third Division, Mbale, was one of the senior UPDF officers charged in the Court Martial with creation of ghost soldiers. He was later cleared of wrongdoing and was immediately promoted from Colonel to Brigadier.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court yesterday set June 23 to hear the petition and injunction filed by Tumukunde challenging what he said was his forced resignation from Parliament.
The MP seat fell vacant on May 28, when Tumukunde wrote a letter of resignation to the Speaker of Parliament. In the letter, he said he had been directed to resign within 12 hours by the commander-in-chief.
Tumukunde petitioned against the resignation and also applied for an injunction to stop the Army Council from replacing him.
His lawyers, Emmanuel Twarebireho and Oscar Kambona, secured a hearing date yesterday morning as the army prepared to vote in the afternoon.
Five judges of the Constitutional Court led by Galdino Okello are set to hear the petition and injunction application on the same day. The other judges on the coram are Alice Mpagi Bahigeine, Amos Twinomujuni, Christine Kitumba and Stephen Kavuma.
Twarebireho told journalists at the court that if the petition succeeds, it will overturn Gutti’s election. “If court says the resignation was not proper, in effect, they will have to cancel whatever will have taken place,†he said.
Ends
BRIG. Andrew Gutti, the UPDF Director for Operations and Training, was yesterday elected to replace Brig. Henry Tumukunde as an army representative in Parliament.
Gutti defeated former health minister Dr. James Makumbi, who is the Director of Medical Services in the UPDF and Maj. Annette Nkalubo, a former Army MP in the 6th Parliament. Gutti polled 85 votes against 72 of Makumbi and six for Nkalubo, a lawyer.
Gutti, who worked as commander of the UPDF Third Division, Mbale, was one of the senior UPDF officers charged in the Court Martial with creation of ghost soldiers. He was later cleared of wrongdoing and was immediately promoted from Colonel to Brigadier.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court yesterday set June 23 to hear the petition and injunction filed by Tumukunde challenging what he said was his forced resignation from Parliament.
The MP seat fell vacant on May 28, when Tumukunde wrote a letter of resignation to the Speaker of Parliament. In the letter, he said he had been directed to resign within 12 hours by the commander-in-chief.
Tumukunde petitioned against the resignation and also applied for an injunction to stop the Army Council from replacing him.
His lawyers, Emmanuel Twarebireho and Oscar Kambona, secured a hearing date yesterday morning as the army prepared to vote in the afternoon.
Five judges of the Constitutional Court led by Galdino Okello are set to hear the petition and injunction application on the same day. The other judges on the coram are Alice Mpagi Bahigeine, Amos Twinomujuni, Christine Kitumba and Stephen Kavuma.
Twarebireho told journalists at the court that if the petition succeeds, it will overturn Gutti’s election. “If court says the resignation was not proper, in effect, they will have to cancel whatever will have taken place,†he said.
Ends