Embattled Jinja District Woman Member of Parliament Agnes Nabirye has submitted her notice of appeal, a day after court nullified her election victory.
The appeal was on Friday morning served to the court registrar in Jinja David Batema by Nabirye’s lawyer, Musa Sekaana.
According to the appeal papers verified by the court in Jinja, Nabirye is challenging the grounds upon which Jinja resident judge Anglin Flavia Senoga annulled her election on Thursday.
Opposition Forum for Democratic Change—FDC member, Maureen Kyalya Walube, challenged the February 18, 2011 election of Nabirye saying the exercise was marred by irregularities and malpractices and was not in line with the electoral laws. It is on these grounds that Justice Senoga based to nullify the results.
But Counsel Sekaana says the ground of non compliance with the electoral laws was not satisfying and could not warrant the nullification of Nabirye’s election.
Kyalya Walube says her lawyers of Kiboneka and Mbabazi Advocates have not been supplied with the appeal yet and are waiting to receive it before they can make any defense.
Last month the court of appeal reinstated the election of Kagoma County Member of Parliament Frederick Mbagadhi Nkayi who had been thrown out of the House by High Court judge Eldard Mwanguhya in June 2011.
Early this week, the election of Kasese Woman MP Winfred Kiiza was also nullified after the Court of Appeal ruled that there was non-compliance with the electoral laws.
The other areas whose MPs were thrown out of the house include Rubaga North, Busiro North, Jinja Municipality East, Luweero district, Bukoto South and Bushenyi Municipality.
In Rubaga North, court reinstated Moses Kasibante was reinstated following a long legal battle with his political rival, Singh Marwaha Katongole. Justice Musoke Kibuuka ruled that the vote recount on February 28 that overturned Kasibante’s win was a nullity since it was done after a court injunction blocking the same.
In Busiro North, former vice president Professor Gilbert Bukenya regained his seat in a by-election after losing it in a successful petition by his rival, Hussein Kasta Bukenya. The Luweero woman parliamentary seat was captured by Brenda Nabukenya of the Democratic Party, after court nullified the election of NRM’s Rebecca Nalwanga and ordered fresh elections.
In the Jinja Municipality East by-election, NRM’s Igeme Nabeta, who had lost the seat following a successful petition by FDC’s Paul Mwiru, went to lose the by-election. Mwiru won with a landslide. Two days ago, the opposition FDC candidate Odo Tayebwa also won the Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality by-election after challenging Hassan Basajjabalaba in court.
Voters in Bukoto South constituency go to the polls later this month to elect a new Member of Parliament after court nullified the election of Muhammed Muyanja Mbabaali for lacking minimum academic papers. At least five people are in the race, including NRM’s Alintuma Nsambu and DP’s Mathias Nsubuga.
