Court has nullified the election of Joyce Bagala

Court has Friday nullified the election of Joyce Bagala Ntwantwa as the Women’s Representative for Mityana District following a petition by Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, who came second in the election.

Nabakooba petitioned Mubende High Court in March this year as she sought to overturn the victory of Bagala.
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.

Bagala won a hotly contested race with 64,305 votes. But in her petition received by  Godfrey Kaweesa, the Mubende High Court registrar on March 15, 2021,  Nabakooba alleged that the electoral commission officials failed to do their job thereby denying her victory.

The minister claimed that several presiding officers connived with Ms Bagala’s agents to alter Declaration Results forms to deny her victory.

She also accused Bagala of bribing voters and using security operatives to intimidate her voters.
Court, has since ordered for fresh election.

Bagala who stood on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket trounced the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) sponsored candidate Nabakooba in the January 14 elections as she was declared the winner by the Mityana District Returning officer,  Stephen Makubuya with 64,305 votes. The minister who was the incumbent came second with 48,078 votes.

Nabakooba petitioned the court accusing the area EC officials of failing to legitimately do their job hence costing her victory.

The minister claimed that several presiding officers in the area connived with Bagala’s agents and altered the Declaration forms on top of bribing voters on voting day. She also accused Bagala of using security operatives to intimidate her voters.