Jinja High Court has today dismissed with costs an election petition filed against lands and housing Minister, Daudi Migereko.
Migereko’s challenger in the February 18th parliamentary elections, Grace Kiirya Wanzala, went to court seeking to nullify the minister’s re-election as Butembe County Member of Parliament.
Wanzala, a forum for democratic change diehard, contended that Migereko got involved in the election malpractices leading to his victory. The FDC official had also alleged that Migereko collaborated with the electoral commission to rig the polls.
However, presiding judge, Billy Kainamura ruled that the petitioner failed to provide substantial evidence to support his petition.
Kainamura said that although affidavits were sworn pinning the respondents in this petition, court found no sufficient evidence to over turn Migereko’s election.
He dismissed the petition with costs which he said will be calculated.
But Wanzala said he would ask his lawyers to appeal against the ruling.
In a related development, Justice Monica Mugenyi also dismissed an election petition filed against the Jinja municipality east member of parliament, Nathan Igeme Nabeta.
The petition had been filed by Paul Mwiru an FDC official, who lost to Nabeta in the parliamentary elections.
Mwiru went to court on grounds that Igeme lacked the minimum academic qualifications to contest as a member of parliament. He had also accused Igeme of liaising with the electoral commission to engage in electoral malpractices, which favored Igeme.
However, Justice Mugenyi said there was no evidence to support the petitioner’s claims. She also said the petitioner failed to prove to court the alleged election malpractices.
The judge noted that although there were a few errors during the elections, this could not affect the results because they are common in any elections.
She however said each party would meet the costs incurred during the petition individually.
Mugenyi said she did this in order not to threaten those intending to file petitions in future for fear of meeting costs of the suit.
