The High Court in Kampala presided over by Justice Vincent T. Zehurikize on Friday, February 2, 2012 delivered its ruling for an Election appeal filed by Dr. Nabatanzi Lugudde, one of the candidates who contested in the November 21, 2011 by – Elections for the luweero District Woman member of Parliament which was won by Democratic Party’s Brenda Nabukenya in a hotly contested race.

Dr. Nabatanzi Lugudde had appealed to the High Court after losing before the Electoral Commission tribunal in her Petition which challenged the nomination of all candidates in the election. In its ruling the high Court decided that the petition had abated and it was overtaken by events after elections having been conducted.

She was advised to instead proceed with the Petition she filed against the outcome of the elections.  Meanwhile, as DP’s Brenda Nabukenya celebrates his court victory, many of her campaigners are still appearing in court on allegations by the state that they incited violence, offences which according to her are politically instigated to undermine her victory.

Four months since the elections, some supporters and campaigners still languish in unknown detention facilities. Most of those missing were Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) activists who had been deployed to canvass and protect the votes of their leader.

A whistleblower recently stated on a local radio that an activist under the names of Mwazike Gustavus Mulindwa, a youth leader and activist of UYD in Nakawa Division and employed by a prominent advertising and PR firm in Ntinda Nakawa Division who went missing since the 25th November 2011 after being arrested by state security agents during the chaos which emanated against vote recounting, had been sighted at Mulago National Referral Hospital in a poor health condition and very dirty clothes.

It was also later reported that Democratic Party (DP) leaders with assistance from Development partners and International democracy support partners smuggled him out of the Country for post traumatic psychological support and better medication inNairobi,Kenya.

Mwazike Gustavus is one of the youth who were never produced in courts of law and police has failed to respond to the complaints by DP President Norbert Mao and other Democratic Party Youth Leaders’ calls for release of all political prisoners believed to be detained in ungazetted detention centres which the state uses to torture political activists.

A medical worker at Mulago Hospital who feared to be disclosed for fear of being witch hunted by the state security intimated to our informers that it is so common these days for state security agents to dump their victims at the national referral hospital when the victims become so weakened by the various modes of torture inflicted through electrocutions, beatings, use of snakes, crocodiles among others.

We shall continue this series of reports regarding new details on the missing activists of the opposition as many more are now considered missing due to the Activists for Chance (A4C) events across the country.

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Kampala woman Member of Parliament Nabila Nagayi Ssempala is improving following last Friday evening’s road accident involving her car and a police patrol van.

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The residents who were led by the kanungu woman Member of parliament Elizabeth Karungi claim that Mbabazi has been accused falsely since 2010 when the Temangalo saga came and it was followed by the chogm scandal where he also came out innocent.

The group  alleged that the docurements tabled by Gerald Karuhanga  were false and forged to tarnish the name of their member of parliament.

The petitioners further want the speaker to stop mps from making reference in connection to chogm and Temangalo since the IGG and the committee of parliament exonerated the prime minister and also parliament to cancel the resolution that was passed on the 10th and 11th October which calls on Mbabazi and his co accused Sam Kutesa and Hilary Onek to step aside.

However the deputy speaker Jacob Oulanya who received the petition says that they can’t take any action since there is a related case in court

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The National Resistance Movement party asked for the recount of ballot papers after its candidate, Rebecca Nalwanga was trounced by the Democratic Party’s candidate, Brenda Nabukenya in the 21^st November Luwero district Woman Member of Parliament by-elections.

Kasozi who had scheduled the recount of the ballot papers to today, found that one of the ballot boxes had been tempered with and immediately re-declared Nabubukenya the winner of the elections.

Kasozi asked NRM’s Nalwanga to petition high court if she felt the electoral commission has not been fair.

Nabukenya beat her close challenger, Nalwanga with only 30 votes after the former polled 14,945 votes but later on the NRM party said that their internal data showed that their candidate was leading with 50 votes and asked for a recount of ballot papers.

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The seat fell vacant after the High Court nullified the election of Rebecca Nalwanga of the National Resistance Movement on grounds that she bribed voters among other malpractices during the 18^th February 2011 elections.

DP’s Nabukenya beat her closest challenger with 30 votes after polling 14’945 votes against NRM’s Rebecca Nalwanga who polled 14,915 votes.

Others in the race were the FDC’s Ziadah Gwokyalya 3,775, Anna Kirabo Asiimwe 3,687, Namagambe Elsie 2,193 and Lugudde Nabatanzi 191.

After declared the winner by the district returning officer Peter Kasozi, Nabukenya commended the people of Luwero for giving her mandate.

Nabukenya scoffed at the ruling party (NRM) saying that Ugandans are tired of the poor governance, corruption and embezzlement in the country.

Ultimate Media

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The member of parliament for  Arua municipality who is also the chairperson of the parliamentary committee on physical infrastructure Ajedra Gadison says that UMI has all it takes to house this college and therefore it’s better to be given a responsibility to manage the public service college.

He however said that the board managing the college should always report to the ministry of public service for the harmonization of the courses to be offered at the college.

This was as MPs debated the developments in public service and local government today.

Zombo district woman member of Parliament  Freedom Kwiyucwinyi advised government to be cautious as they are authorizing UMI to house the college since the money to establish the college was signed by public service should handle the management issues without interfering with the loan contract.

The ministry of public service acquired a 60 billion loan from the World Bank to establish a civil service college to provide a sustainable skilled workforce for Uganda.

However, there has been questions in government on whether the money should be given to Uganda Management Institute  or whether government needs to construct a new Institute.

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Now the party leaders have resorted to calling upon their supporters to contribute money towards this “cause”.  DP has fronted Brenda Nabukenya, currently the UYD leader in charge of social affairs to represent the party in the Luweero Woman MP race. The leaders are using SMS messages to call people to contribute money.

The Electoral Commission has started updating the National Voters’ Register for Luweero district in preparation for a by-election for the woman legislator. The commission has also set November 21 as the polling day for the district woman member of parliament.

The seat fell vacant after Ms Nabatanzi Lugudde (Independent) successfully challenged in Court the election victory of Ms Rebecca Lukwago (NRM) over voter bribery.

The updating exercises ended on October 20th. The consultative meeting with the commission officials and stakeholders in Luwero district was held on October 18.

The three Candidates were nominated on October 25 to 26th followed by five days for inspection of candidates’ nomination papers and lodging of complaints. The campaign period has started and the candidates need money to pull off a successful campaign.

By Maureen Nakyanzi

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