Justice Simon Byabakama addressing Journalists at the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Industrial Area.
By George Bukenya
The Chairperson of Uganda Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama has denied having a syndicate in the disqualification of opposition candidates for the forthcoming general election.
This follows mainly opposition candidates being disqualified by EC citing irregularities in their nominations, for instance, lack of the minimum academic qualification, like the case with the mayor of Kyengera Mathius Walukaga who was disqualified on such grounds.
Walukaga had earlier been nominated by EC but only to be denied nomination to vie for Busiro North parliamentary seat following a petition by one of the area voters to the electoral commission seeking the latter’s disqualification due to lack of the required minimum academic documents.
While addressing reporters in the end-of-year press briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Industrial Area, Kampala, Justice Byabakama said that what the commission is doing is under the confines of the law and nobody should intimidate him.
“The electoral commission isn’t the origin of all these petitions; they come from individuals and rival candidates of the particular areas. If candidate ‘A’ loses the petition, then we are not the ones to blame,’’ Justice Byakabaka noted.
He further explained,“the law gives candidates liberty to scrutinise the academic papers of their fellow candidates, even the forms containing signatures of their seconders, and when they find irregularities, they have the right to petition the commission for consideration to align the nomination with the dictates of the law.’’
“ At the nomination, the commission’s officers have no ample time to verify everything, but when a petition arises, then our team at the respective nomination center revisits the document to ascertain the anomalies which lead tothe disqualification of the candidate in question.’’ He said.
According to Byabakama, the commission received about 400 petitions, which he attributed to such a huge number to the vigilance exercised by the voters and the candidates in scrutinizing of people who were nominated.
“ As the commission, we are mandated to entertain electoral petitions, give every side a right hearing, either with their respective lawyers, witnesses, and evidence adduced to back up their nominations. When the accused doesn’t appear, the law permits the commission to go ahead and hear the petition in his/her absence as long as the petitioner has proof that he/she served the defendant, as in the case with the conventional courts of law,’’ the commission’s chairperson explained.
Barely two weeks to the polling day, a total of at least 13 parliamentary candidates have mainly opposition been disqualified by the electoral commission. Justice Byabakama urged them to petition the High Court in case they are not satisfied with his ruling.
The most notable ones among others are Mathius Walukaga (Busiro North), Arnold Ankunda of People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), and NUP’s Shalif Ntanda, both vying for Isingiro North County, where the incumbent is Rtd. Col. Bright Rwamira, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Christopher Ategeka who was contesting for Buyanja County Constituency with NRM’s Finance Minister Matia Kasaija.
The first Deputy Prime Minister, who is also a former speaker of parliament, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga in her Twitter (X) account stated that, “ Disqualifying candidates is a new development. We did not have this in the NRM party,’’ reads in the party before,’’
She also said, “this is a strategy used by people who fear competition. Where they are weak, they do not allow others to stand. I am very dissatisfied with the way the Uganda Electoral Commission is behaving.’’