Allan Mayanja Ssebunya, the Incumbent Member of Parliament for Nakaseke Central, has petitioned the Luwero High Court challenging the outcome of the January Parliamentary elections.
Ssebunya seeks to overturn the results, which declared the State Minister of Kampala Metropolitan Affairs as the winner. Ssebunya received over 13,000 votes, while his competitor, Allan Mayanja, received more than 8,200 votes.The
Nakaseke Returning Officer declared Kabuye Kyofa, the National Resistance Movement candidate, as the duly elected Member of Parliament for Nakaseke Central, defeating incumbent MP Allan Mayanja Ssebunya of the National Unity Platform and other candidates.
However, Ssebunya disputed the results and has since petitioned the Luwero High Court seeking to be declared the rightful winner.
In a petition filed through M/S Lukwago and Company Advocates, Ssebunya has sued the Electoral Commission and Kabuye Kyofa in court, citing electoral malpractices.
Ssebunya states that the Electoral Commission failed to tally and announce the correct results obtained from 31 polling stations, thereby declaring the wrong winner.
He lists the results from Kyasampanga, Magoma Primary School (NAK-Z), Wakayamba, Ntalajji, Katooke, Masgid Taqwa Nakkonge, Mijumwa, Balitta, Butalangu Kisaawe, Nabisojjo, Kagango-Kiswagga, Bwami, Kyaluwees polling stations to back his petition.
Ssebunya claims that the results from those polling stations were altered in favour of Kabuye Kyofa before declaring him the winner.
He cites instances like in the Kyasampanga polling station, where Kabuya Kyofa allegedly obtained 108 votes but was declared the winner with 360 votes. The petitioner avers that he had originally been declared the winner at that polling station with 200 votes in his favour.
Similarly, he says at the Wakayamba polling station, Kabuye Kyofa allegedly got 92 votes, but the results were allegedly altered and awarded 300 votes against the petitioners. Ssebunya says he had won at that particular polling station with 149 votes in his favour.
He states that at Ntalajji polling station, where he voted, his challenger, Kabuya Kyofa, reportedly received 91 votes, but the results were allegedly altered, awarding him 260. Ssebunya claims that he had won at that polling station with 166 votes.
At Katooke polling station, where both Ssebunya and Kyofa received 112 votes, the results were allegedly altered before declaring Kyofa with 212 votes, among other irregularities.
In other cases, Ssebunya said that the voters exceeded the registered voters. The petitioner listed Masgid Taqwa Nakkonge polling station, where the total number of registered male voters was 167, but 194 voters cast their vote on that day.
At Butalangu Kisaawe polling station, there are 249 female registered voters, but 350 female voters are indicated in the EC packing list as they cast votes on that day, among several other cases.Ssebunya states that from 20 polling stations mentioned in the petition, Kyofa polled 2077 votes but was declared with 5717 votes after awarding him an extra 3640 votes.
He also further stated that some of his votes from the Kibose Polling station, where he polled 174 votes and Kyofa got 49 votes, were not included on the tally sheet.
The petitioner also challenges 100% turn out of voters at some polling stations that include Kalagala-Kalungu, Kirinda, Bwami, Kabaale, Nabisojjo, and Kiswaga.Ssebunya also indicated that there is a mismatch of results declared by the District Returning Officer, where Kyofa got 13685 votes, and Ssebunya got 8178 votes, whereas results in the gazette indicate that Kyofa got 13,742 votes and Ssebunya received 8,298 votes.
As a result, Ssebunya also asked the court to declare that the Electoral Commission failed to comply with the Electoral Commission Act Cap 176, the Parliamentary Act Cap 179, and principles governing elections, hence affecting the results of elections in a substantial manner.
Ssebunya also asked the Luwero High Court to set aside the election of Kyofa and declare him a duly elected member of Parliament for Nakaseke Central.The Deputy Registrar of Luwero High Court on Tuesday ordered Minister Kabuye Kyofa to file a defense within ten days upon receiving the petition.
This is the third election petition filed at the Luwero High Court.Esther Nakawooya, the former contestant for Nakaseke District Woman Member of Parliament, also petitioned the High Court in Luwero, challenging the declaration of National Resistance Movement Candidate Sarah Najjuma as the winner for the seat, citing electoral malpractices.
The other petition involves Agnes Kirabo Nantongo, the Former National Resistance Movement candidate who challenged the re-election of Brenda Nabukenya as the Luwero District Woman Member of Parliament. URN