Another Member of Parliament has been kicked out of the House.
Forum for Democratic Change’s Apollo Kantinti becomes the 13th legislator to lose his seat after the High Court in Kampala nullified his election as MP representing Kyadondo East Constituency over non-compliance with electoral laws by the Electoral Commission.
This is after Presiding Judge Isabirye Kaweesa found guilty the Wakiso District Returning Officer Sarah Bukirwa of disenfranchising voters and failure to ensure safe custody of election materials.
She is also said to have failed to account for the where abouts of Declaration Forms for 7 polling stations in the constituency.
Justice Kaweesa also faulted Bukirwa for failing to file a police report in relation to the said 7 polling stations whose results she unfairly and unilaterally cancelled.
The Judge further expressed concerns over the competence of presiding officers citing a one Sempebwa Kato at Manyangwa TC polling station who confessed on oath that he signed DR forms before the commencement of the voting exercise .
He therefore ruled that in such circumstances of erroneous entering of results in DR forms, it was very difficult to ascertain the winning margin between contenders in election where Kantinti was declared winner with 9,005 votes and Sebalu as runner up with 8,600 votes.
The judge has thus ordered fresh elections in the constituency and that the Electoral Commission and it’s Returning Officer Sarah Bukirwa pays costs of this petition.
NRM’s William Sitenda Sebalu sued Kantinti, the Electoral Commission and the Wakiso District Returning Officer Sarah Bukirwa for conniving to commit several irregularities which affected the outcome of the parliamentary election in Kyadondo East in a substantial manner.
Story By Ruth Anderah
