Luweero mayor remanded over election petition debt

Mr Charles Sebyala (C), the Luweero Town Council mayor, campaigns for Ms Brenda Nabukenya (4th Left) during the Luweero District Woman MP by-election in May. Photo by Dan Wandera.

What you need to know:

Mr Sebyala is accused of failing to pay more than Shs22m in an election petition that he lost in 2007.

Luweero- The Luweero Town Council chairman, Mr Charles Sebyala, has been remanded to civil prison after failing to pay Shs22m as damages in an election case he lost in 2007.

He was picked form Luweero Town by court bailiffs and taken to the Executions and Bailiffs Division of the High Court in Kampala.
He is accused of failing to pay more than Shs22m that was awarded by court after losing in an election petition that he had filed against the Electoral Commission and Mr Musa Kizito Sempagama in 2007.

The order was issued by Mr Muhamadi Kasakya, the assistant registrar of the Executions and Bailiffs Division of the High Court, in Kampala.

“This is to command you to arrest the said petitioner/judgment debtor Sebyala Charles Salongo unless he pays the said amount including all costs, bring the said judgment debtor before this court with all convenient speed,” the arrest warrant reads in part.

Mr Sebyala petitioned the High Court in an election case against Mr Sempagama and the Electoral Commission in 2006 over vote rigging in the election for Luweero Town Council mayor.
He had lost the seat to Mr Sempagama by 49 votes but court dismissed the petition in 2007 and ordered him to pay Mr Sempagama the cost of the suit and that of the Electoral Commission.
However, even though Mr Sebyala paid the cost of Mr Sempagama’s suit he never paid that of the Electoral Commission.

Mr Sebyala, who was released yesterday, said his arrest was witch-hunt by the NRM, having openly supported Ms Brenda Nabukenya of Democratic Party during the May by-election of Luweero District Woman MP. Ms Nabukenya defeated NRM’s Rebecca Nalwanga. He will reappear in court on August 18.