Boxing wrangles: Court okays Muhangi presidency
Muhangi addressing journalists at court after the ruling. Left is federation patron Godfrey Nyakana. PHOTO BY ABDUL-NASSER SSEMUGABI
What you need to know:
- Justice Lydia Mugambe of the High Court has declared Moses Muhangi the legitimately elected president of the Uganda Boxing Federation.
On January 19 Justice Mugambe gave an order allowing the UBF elective assembly, slated for January 20, to proceed.
However, the wrangling parties ended up with two assemblies, two federations and two presidents—Muhangi and Kenneth Gimugu [the then outgoing UBF president].
KAMPALA. Justice Lydia Mugambe of the High Court has declared Moses Muhangi the legitimately elected president of the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF). Justice Mugambe made her declaration was on Wednesday February 28th.
On January 19 Justice Mugambe gave an order allowing the UBF elective assembly, slated for January 20, to proceed. However, the wrangling parties ended up with two assemblies, two federations and two presidents—Muhangi and Kenneth Gimugu [the then outgoing UBF president].
Early in February, the Gimugu camp filed an application, accusing the Muhangi team of contempt of the January 19 court order. After two hearings Justice Mugambe instead found the applicant guilty of contempt of the aforementioned order thus dismissing the application and rewarding the respondent costs.
She said, “My ruling was clear, the confusion came from the divisions among the registered trustees.”
Justice Mugambe based her ruling on the following, among others: that it was not clear how fully paid-up members were verified in Gimugu’s assembly, [as court had directed], that the international federation [Aiba] representative attended Muhangi’s assembly and not Gimugu’s and that Kati Kati Restaurant and Lugogo Sports Complex, where parallel assemblies happened are places in the same locality so the members had the ability to access the Kati Kati assembly (Muhangi’s) and participate in the elections [as court wished].
She thus advised the legal representatives to advise their clients to “stop wrangling, reconcile and build the sport.”
