Court to rule on Kyamadidi election petition Thursday

Aug 03, 2016

Kyamadidi filed a petition sighting election violence and rigging specifically in Mwizi Sub County

The High Court of Mbarara will on Thursday make a ruling in the election petition filed by former Rwampara MP Vincent Mujuni Kyamadidi against Charles Ngabirano.

The hearing that started on May 23 before Lady Justice Dr Winfred Nabisinde was concluded in June before Nabisinde set the ruling for 4th August.

After losing to rival Ngabirano, Kyamadidi filed a petition against the February 2016 election results, sighting election violence and rigging specifically in Mwizi Sub County.

According to the results released by the Mbarara district Electoral Commission returning office, Kyamadidi got 3.89% in Mwizi Sub County, compared to Ngabirano's 95.96%.

Kyamadidi then won in the rest of the three sub counties of Ndeija where he got 52.56% compared to Ngabirano's 46.17%, with 70.99% in Bugamba where Ngabirano got 26.82 while in Rugando he polled 50.62% to Ngabirano's 45.96%.

Kyamadidi claimed that in Mwizi, it was impossible that all the 14 polling stations registered a 100% voter turn-up, with all the registered voters having been recorded to have cast their votes.

Through his lawyer Ngaruye Ruhindi, Kyamadidi wondered whether none of the voters fell sick, or died or migrated from the area, not to have missed voting, saying there was therefore no proper voting but just ticking ballots in favour of his opponent.

Ngabirano's defence has been that all the voters in Mwizi voted an NRM candidate after President Yoweri Museveni's campaigned for him as flag bearer of the party while on his campaign trail in the area.

harles gabirano  with former gara ast  ichael awanda outside the barara igh ourt hoto by loysius yamukama Charles Ngabirano (L) with former Igara East MP Michael Mawanda outside the Mbarara High Court. Photo by Aloysius Byamukama

 

He also maintained that it was not his duty to confirm whether some people were dead or not, but the duty of the petitioner to prove to court that there were dead people who ‘voted'.

The Ngabirano vs Kyamadidi hearing sessions have been crowd pullers, with the court rooms being filled to capacity at the Mbarara High Court.

Meanwhile, the ruling on three other election petitions including the Bukanga constituency loser Tito Turiyo vs Stephen Kangwagye, Bushenyi-Ishaka Municiplaity's Odo Tayebwa vs Gordon Arinda and Kiruhura LCV loser Moses Beinamatsiko against Rev Samuel Mugisha Katugunda, are also set for the same day.

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