The seat fell vacant after the Court of Appeal nullified the election of NRM’s Gideon Mujungu Thembo last month on grounds that the elections were marred by gross irregularities.
The Electoral
Commission plans to spend about 900 Million Shillings on the Busongora South MP
by-election.
The seat
fell vacant after the Court of Appeal nullified the election of NRM’s Gideon
Mujungu Thembo last month on grounds that the elections were marred by gross
irregularities.
Three
Justices of Appeal led by Fredrick Egonda Ntende overturned the decision of the
High Court in Fort Portal and concurred with Thembo’s rival Jackson Mbaju
that there were irregularities
at Katunguru Primary school, Katunguru Market, and Busunga Primary school
polling stations in Kasese District.
Addressing
journalists in Kasese on Friday, EC Chairperson, justice Simon Mugenyi
Byabakama said the cost of the by-election has gone up because of the rising
fuel costs.
He said that the money will be used to develop and update
new poll registers, recruit, train, and pay electoral officials, print voter education and voting materials, and sensitization campaigns.
Byabakama
appealed to stakeholders to avoid mistakes that led to the nullification of the
results. He explained that by-elections are financially draining the commission.
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Byabakama also added that there will be the registration of first-time voters who
have turned 18 years since the last general elections. This
exercise is expected to last only five days.
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The commission is yet to issue a roadmap for the by-election.
