Kalungu loser drags MP-elect to High Court
Mar 24, 2011
THE High Court in Kampala has been asked to nullify the election of Vincent Ssempijja as Kalungu East MP over his academic certificates and election offences.
By Andante Okanya
THE High Court in Kampala has been asked to nullify the election of Vincent Ssempijja as Kalungu East MP over his academic certificates and election offences.
The petition was filed by the area’s incumbent MP, Umar Mawiya. The NRM flag-bearer came second in the February 18 polls. Five other candidates took part in the race.
Mawiya wants court to declare Ssempijja “unqualified for nomination and participation†in the elections.
Mawiya defeated Ssempijja in the NRM primaries.
Ssempijja was the former Masaka district LC5 chairman. He, however, resigned his position to contest in the parliamentary elections after Kalungu district was curved out of Masaka.
Mawiya is challenging the nomination, election and declaration of Ssempijja as MP on grounds that the Electoral Commission failed to comprehensively scrutinise his academic certificates.
He added that the Electoral Commission contravened Article 80 of the Constitution, and Section 4 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, which gives guidelines on the election process.
According to Mawiya’s affidavit in support of the petition, Ssempijja’s election was fraudulent since the O’level certificate he presented for the nomination was disowned by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) in 2002.
Mawiya contends that UNEB’s decision rendered Ssempijja’s purported A’level certificate baseless.
According to attached court documents, UNEB secretary Mathew Bukenya swore an affidavit in April 2002 in a court case where Ssempijja’s former rival for the Masaka district LC5 seat, Dr. Shannon Kakungulu, sued him over his academic papers.
Bukenya said he had scrutinised a photocopy of Ssempijja’s East Africa Certificate of Education but could not establish its source or validity without looking at the original. He cited anomalies in the sentence spacing on the certificate.
Kakungulu later withdrew the case.
Mawiya also reported that during the campaigns, Ssempijja carried an AK-47 gun and threatened people.
He also said the results were falsified after the tally sheet was changed.
The High Court is yet to summon Ssempijja and the Electoral C ommission over the matter.
THE High Court in Kampala has been asked to nullify the election of Vincent Ssempijja as Kalungu East MP over his academic certificates and election offences.
The petition was filed by the area’s incumbent MP, Umar Mawiya. The NRM flag-bearer came second in the February 18 polls. Five other candidates took part in the race.
Mawiya wants court to declare Ssempijja “unqualified for nomination and participation†in the elections.
Mawiya defeated Ssempijja in the NRM primaries.
Ssempijja was the former Masaka district LC5 chairman. He, however, resigned his position to contest in the parliamentary elections after Kalungu district was curved out of Masaka.
Mawiya is challenging the nomination, election and declaration of Ssempijja as MP on grounds that the Electoral Commission failed to comprehensively scrutinise his academic certificates.
He added that the Electoral Commission contravened Article 80 of the Constitution, and Section 4 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, which gives guidelines on the election process.
According to Mawiya’s affidavit in support of the petition, Ssempijja’s election was fraudulent since the O’level certificate he presented for the nomination was disowned by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) in 2002.
Mawiya contends that UNEB’s decision rendered Ssempijja’s purported A’level certificate baseless.
According to attached court documents, UNEB secretary Mathew Bukenya swore an affidavit in April 2002 in a court case where Ssempijja’s former rival for the Masaka district LC5 seat, Dr. Shannon Kakungulu, sued him over his academic papers.
Bukenya said he had scrutinised a photocopy of Ssempijja’s East Africa Certificate of Education but could not establish its source or validity without looking at the original. He cited anomalies in the sentence spacing on the certificate.
Kakungulu later withdrew the case.
Mawiya also reported that during the campaigns, Ssempijja carried an AK-47 gun and threatened people.
He also said the results were falsified after the tally sheet was changed.
The High Court is yet to summon Ssempijja and the Electoral C ommission over the matter.