Busia race: NRM seeks to block Njoki nomination

What you need to know:

  • Claim. The NRM legal team argues that Mr Njoki’s National ID and academic documents belonged to two different persons.

KAMPALA. The Electoral Commission (EC) has received a petition from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party challenging the nomination of the Opposition candidate in the by-election for the Busia district chairperson’s seat.
The NRM petitioned EC, alleging that the nomination of Mr Hasubi Deogratias Njoki of the Democratic Party, who is also the joint opposition candidate, was illegal.
In the petition, the NRM legal team argued that Mr Njoki’s National ID and academic documents belonged to two different persons.
“The academic documents he filed with the commission at the time of nomination bear names of Hasubi Deogratias Njoki while the National ID and voter’s names read Hasubi Deogratias. These are two different persons under law and there was no legal document that was filed with the commission at least at the time of nomination to show that the two said persons are one and the same,” the NRM petition reads in part.
Mr Rogers Mulindwa, the NRM spokesperson, urged the EC to handle the matter without prejudice.
“Our legal team has done their part and we expect fairness from the authorised body to handle this,” he said.

EC’s response
Mr Paul Bukenya, the deputy EC spokesperson, said a final verdict will be delivered after the process of investigation has been concluded.
“We are treating this as a complaint. The investigations have commenced because we are mandated to receive complaints from the public after we display documents of the would-be candidates. The matter is before the Commission,” Mr Bukenya said. When contacted, Mr Njoki said he could not speak on phone since he was driving.
The Busia LC5 by-election race, which has intensified between two parties mainly, NRM and DP, has been an epitome of drama among the candidates and the respective supporters from both sides.
On Tuesday, DP claimed that an NRM senior official in Busia, Mr Stephen Mayende, had thrown his weight behind Mr Njoki.
Mr Mayende confirmed to Daily Monitor that he had shifted support to the Opposition candidate on account that he saw no future in the NRM candidate, Mr Boniface Oguttu, whom he alleged was handpicked but not popularly elected by party members.
Mr Oguttu has been acting as Busia LC5 chairperson for more than a year.
The Busia LC5 chairperson’s seat fell vacant in May after the Court of Appeal threw out Mr Ouma Adea who was convicted for corruption in 2013. The by-election is slated for November 28.