Kayunga To Vote Again

By Hillary Nsambu THE High Court yesterday ruled that Ms Victoria Kakooko Ssebagereka was free to stand for Kayunga District women Parliamentary seat. Justice John Bosco Katutsi, who presided over the petition, also ordered the Electoral Commission (EC) to appoint a day on which to hold the election for the district woman representative. The commission disqualified Ssebagereka saying that by the time she was nominated she did not have the necessary qualifications. The commission had received complaints that Ssebagereka was academically unqualified. But Ssebagereka, through Mwesigwa Rukutana and Company Advocates, petitioned court seeking reinstatement of her candidature so she could contest for the seat with Ms Florence Seggujja Mpalanyi Nakkonde her only opponent. Nakkonde, who had joined the seventh Parliament unopposed, is missing the swearing in of members of Parliament, which is scheduled to take place today. The judge blamed the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) for being inconsistent on the matter. He said at one time it equated Ssebagereka's qualification to Uganda's 'A' Level certificate and then later said she was not qualified. Ssebagereka's lawyers, Mr Obedi Mwebesa and Mr Kandeebe, argued that the commission breached the rule of natural justice by not giving her a chance to be heard before arbitrarily declaring her unqualified. But Ms Christine Kahwa, the State Attorney appearing for the EC, said at the time of nomination, Ssebagereka did not have the necessary papers. Ends