The National Council for Higher Education, has been dragged into two election petition trials in Masaka.
Masaka High Court Judge, Justice Owiny Dolo, has ordered the National council for Higher Education to avail certificates of education for two newly elected Member of Parliament for verifications.
The two members of parliament whose election is disputed over academic qualifications are Vincent Ssempijja, the newly elected Member of Parliament for Kalungu East, whose election is challenged by Umar Lule Mawiya.
Also under scrutiny is Muyanja Mbabaali academic papers. His election is being challenged by his DP rival, Mathias Nsubuga.
MP Mawiya petitioned court seeking the nullification of Ssempijja’s election on grounds that he was nominated illegally, because he does not have minimum academic qualifications.
Mawiya alleges that Ssempiija forged the Ordinary and Advanced level certificates of education he presented to the electoral commission on the nomination day.
According to Mawiya, the two certificates Ssempijja presented from Kasasa Secondary school and Caltec Academy in Kampala bear different names which do not tally with those at the Uganda National Examination Board.
On the other hand, Mathias Nsubuga, the Bukoto South loser also petitioned high court seeking the nullification of Muyanja Mbabaali’s election on grounds that he forged ordinary level certificates.
According to Nsubuga, Mbabaali’s nomination was illegal because he lacks genuine ordinary level certificates as required by a member of parliament. Nsubuga alleges that the certificates from SIT International school found Malaysia where Mbabaali claims to have obtained these certificates denounced him.
On Tuesday, Caleb Alaka, Mathias Nsubuga’s lawyer and Hassan Akamba, Mawiya’s lawyer told court asked court to order the National council for Higher Education to provide them copies of both Ssempijja and Mbabaali’s academic qualifications.
The two lawyers said they wanted to double check with the disputed certificates before the hearing starts.
Hassan Akamba, Mawiya’s lawyer, says Ssempijja declined to provide them with his disputed certificates in his defense. Akamba also claimed that their efforts to obtain the certificates from National council for Higher Education hit a dead end after the officers there refused to avail them such copies.
Justice Owini Dolo, asked the lawyer to go to National council for higher education and get copies of the academic qualifications of the two members of parliament. He said he will personally write accompanying letters to present to National Council for Higher Education to enable them argue out their cases.
Justice Dolo adjourned Ssempijja’s case to May 20th.
Justice Dolo also adjourned Nsubuga’s case until June 13th after Caleb Alaka, his lawyer gets copies of academic qualifications of Muyanja Mbabaali for verifications.
But Geoffrey Kandeebe, Ssempijja’s lawyer has protested the turn of events in this case. Kandeebe wondered how Mawiya, who alleges and disputes his clients’ academic qualification, could lack the supporting evidence. He says Mawiya’s actions are slowing them down from defending their case.
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