AG Nyombi tells EC to halt mayoral by-election

By Charles Etukuri

KAMPALA - The Attorney General Peter Nyombi has written to Electoral Commission chairman Badru Kiggundu, advising him to suspend the Kampala mayoral by-elections until court orders otherwise.

In a letter dated 1st April 2014, Nyombi advised Kiggundu that the High Court Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe had stayed the conduct of the Kampala Mayoral Elections on 28th March 2014.

He noted that the AG had appealed against her decision and that they had obtained an interim stay of her orders.

“The Court of Appeal by this stay did not set aside and/or vary the decision of the Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe but only stayed the same pending hearing of the appeal,” Nyombi noted

The AG noted that, “the importance of the appeal ruling is no elections should be conducted until the determination of the appeal.”

Last month, EC set April 17 as the date on which it would hold by-elections for the vacant position of Kampala Lord Mayor following the impeachment of the current Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago by city councillors in a meeting chaired by Minister in Charge of Presidency and Kampala Capital City Authority Frank Tumwebaze.

The move came following a probe committee chaired by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire that found the Lord Mayor guilty of a number of allegations brought against him by the city councillors.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has already nominated Peter Sematimba to stand as its official candidate.