Court summons LG minister over Soroti city boundary saga
Oct 05, 2020
The judge had considered the two parties, the Electoral Commission and the petitioners to enter into a consent agreement.
ELECTIONS | GOVERNANCE
SOROTI - Local government minister Raphael Magezi has been summoned by Soroti High Court over the Soroti city boundary saga.
The case of Soroti city boundaries which is before Judge Wilson Musalu Musene hit a snag on Monday after the two parties failed to reach a consent agreement.
The judge had considered the two parties, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the petitioners, both represented by their respective lawyers, to enter into a consent agreement after it emerged that Aloet ward, Arapai ward, Opiyai ward and Orwadai belonged to Soroti East and not West.
Parliament and the Soroti district council had approved the mentioned areas as part of Soroti West. But a letter from the local government ministry was issued, indicating that the said locations are part of Soroti East.
The petitioners are Michael Enyagu, Robert Onanyang, Stephen Erienyu, Patrick Ejelu and Brian Omoding.
Their lawyer, Leonard Otte, petitioned the court to halt the activities of the EC of nominating candidates in the mentioned locations until the correct boundaries were established.
Court granted their wish. But last week, the same court lifted the injuction, pending disposal of the petition this week.
Judge Musene allowed the EC to resume the nomination exercise, which ended on Monday, October 5, on grounds that the Commission will not tamper with the boundaries.
Monday evening, the petitioners' lawyer Ottee asked the High Court to amend the case and include the Attorney General and the local government minister so that the boundaries saga is clarified.
"There are two letters originating from the same minister, one indicating that the places in question belonged to Soroti West, yet the same minister issues another letter that is contrary," said Otte.
Initially, the petitioners had sued only the EC on grounds that it was responsible for the alteration of the boundaries.
However, the EC lawyer Patrick Wateka maintained that they did not alter any demarcations and instead followed the map sent by the local government minister.
Justice Musene set Monday, October 12 as the date for the hearing of the case in which minister Magezi is required to give guidance over the anomalies around Soroti city status.