High Court in Mubende has nullified Joyce Bagala’s election as Mityana Woman Member of Parliament and called for fresh elections. This follows a petition by Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba.
Nabakooba dragged Bagala to court after she trounced her with a margin of 16,000 votes in the January 14, 2021 polls.
According to the minister, Ms Bagala was seen on the Election Day (January 14, 2021) bribing voters with money and using security operatives to intimidate her voters.
In her petition, Ms Nabakooba who came second in the January 14 elections after getting 48,078 votes accused the Electoral Commission (EC) and Ms Bagala (respondents) of conspiring to steal her victory.
Mityana District Returning officer, Mr Stephen Makubuya on January 15 declared Ms Bagala of the National Unity Platform (NUP) winner of the hotly contested race after she got 64,305 votes. The other candidate in the race, Ms Brenda Nabaliisa, garnered 1,509 votes.
However, in the petition, Ms Nabakooba told court that the electoral commission officials failed to do their job thereby denying her victory.
According to the minister several presiding officers connived with Ms Bagala’s agents to alter Declaration Results forms to deny her victory.
According to the minister who was elected Mityana woman MP in 2016 on the ticket of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Ms Bagala was seen on the Election Day (January 14, 2021) bribing voters with money.
She had asked court to nullify Ms Bagala’s victory and also order for a fresh election.
Mityana District Returning Officer Stephen Makubuya told the court that the elections were free and fair since he did not receive any written complaint from the agents nor electoral officials.
On the issue of signing declaration forms before the closure of the polls, Makubuya admitted it was in contravention of the training given to the officials before the elections commenced.