Africa-Press – Uganda. Three losers in the recently-concluded sub-county and town council elections in Luweero District have suffered yet another setback after the Chief Magistrate’s Court rejected vote recount for the town councils of Ndejje, Bombo and Katikamu.
In his ruling last Friday, Mr Samuel Munobe, the Luweero Chief Magistrate, said such petitions could only be handled by High Court.
“I feel the pain and would have loved that you get the justice that you are craving as by your petition, but my court has no powers to handle your election petitions seeking vote recounts.
“The petition filed at this court is in a wrong place. How I wish this was High Court and you filed the petition in time, I would have heard and executed as the law guides in all the election petitions at this level. Your petition is here by dismissed and costs awarded to the respondents accordingly,” Mr Munobe ruled.
The petitioners
One of the petitioners, Mr Richard Kirabira, who was the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM ) candidate for Katikamu Sub-county chairperson seat, was contesting the declaration of Mr Herbert Kato Kigozi of National Unity Platform (NUP) party as the winner.
Mr Kirabira claimed that votes from several polling stations had been interchanged. He cited polling stations such as Kungu, Kirembwe and Busula that cost him victory.
Ms Aisha Ndagire, the former NRM candidate for Bombo Town Council chairperson, was seeking vote recount in an election where EC declared her opponent, Mr Osman Kassim Ramathan (Ind), as winner of the Bombo Town Council chairperson seat in the February 3 election.
Ms Ndagire claimed that several of the polling stations in Bombo Town Council had alterations that caused numerical errors in the vote tallying process leading to her loss .
Ms Ndagire had indicated that the declaration sheets at Bombo SS, Gangama Mosque, Lumule Village, Wabikokoma and Mpakawero zones had alterations in the figures in the final tally sheets, a sign of vote rigging.
Mr George William Muwayire, the former NRM candidate for Ndejje Town Council, was challenging the victory of Mr Steven Ssebowa Nkwanga of NUP party, as the chairperson-elect for Ndejje Town Council.
Mr Muwayire claimed that the EC failed to include on the final sheet votes from one polling station at Ndejje Taxi Park, where he had more votes than those of his opponent.
He claims that he got 194 votes against 115 votes of his opponent Nkwanga and that if the results were added to the tally sheet, he would emerge winner.
