EC disqualifies Oseku in Butebo by-election

By Charles Etukuri

The Electoral Commission (EC) Wednesday disqualified Richard Anthony Oseku Oriebo from the Butebo by-election race.

The development comes as voters in Butebo in Pallisa district go to polls Thursday to elect MP following the death of former minister Steven Mallinga.  The race has attracted seven candidates.

Oseku was disqualified after investigations revealed that he had not formerly retired from the army.

A statement issued by the election body boss, Badru Kiggundu said Oseku had been disqualified from the race following a series of complaints from the ruling National Resistance Movement which claimed he was ineligible to contest because Section 4 of the Parliamentary Elections Act barred him as a serving public officer.

 “Following the receipt of a petition from the National Resistance Party (NRM) over the candidature of Oseku, in Butebo County, the Electoral Commission, invited representatives of the NRM and the Candidate in question for hearing at the Commission head office on May 28 and 30, 2013 respectively”.

Kiggundu said following a series of meetings, EC had established that Oseku was an employee of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) at the rank of Sergeant under service number RA/122998, and that he had been seconded to Internal Security Organisation (ISO) by the UPDF; and while candidate Oseku resigned from ISO, he has never initiated his retirement process with the UPDF, his principal employer.

According to Section 4 (4) (b) of the Parliamentary Elections Act 17 of 2005, ‘a public officer or person employed in government department or agency of government or employee of Local Government or anybody in which the government has controlling interest who wishes to stand for election as Member of Parliament shall ‘in case of by-election, resign his or her office fourteen days before nomination day.’

His name will however remain on the ballot papers because they had already been printed and dispatched to Pallisa.

“The Commission therefore advises voters in Butebo not to cast votes for the disqualified candidate, Oseku, on polling day, as such votes will be invalid,” Kiggundu said.