Two MPs thrown out of Parliament over voter bribery

MP Hood Katuramu.

The Court of Appeal has thrown out two MPs representing people with disabilities.

The Appeal court led by Justice Remmy Kasule ruled that Wilson Norkrach for Northern Region and Hood Katuramu for Western Region participated in voter bribery.

"After perusing through court records basing on evidence, submissions and judgment of the High Court, we find that the learned trial judge failed to properly evaluate evidence on record and hence arriving at a wrong decision," the Justices ruled.

Justice Kasule was assisted by Elizabeth Musoke and Catherine Bamugemereire.

They therefore ordered Electoral Commission to conduct fresh elections in the respective constituencies.

According to the justices, evidence was adduced in court showing that both MPs from engaged in election malpractice.

"The testimonies of all witnesses point out that the said candidates gave out money and gifts to voters physically and via mobile phone transfers with the intention of influencing them to vote for them," the court noted.

The justices observed that after subjecting all the evidence to fresh scrutiny, both respondents personally and through their agents with their knowledge and consent or approval implied or actual with intent to influence voters.

The Justices also stated that trial Judge Albert Rugadya Atwoki erred in law and fact when he found that the Norkrach possessed academic qualifications to contest as an MP whereas not.

The Justices recommended that MPs should come up with an amendment in the election laws to ban any MP from standing again for ten years like it's done in Anti-Corruption Court once found guilty of fraud.

The justices also awarded costs of the application to the petitioners.

The Electoral Commission had declared Katuramu as the duly elected MP for Western region with 301 votes against his opponent who got 178 and the second petitioner pulled 255 votes.