Busongora South MP on the spot over Shs183m
NRM's Gideon Mujungu Thembo celebrates alongside the party's electoral commission chairman Mr Tanga Odoi and Secretatry for mobilsation Ms Rosemary Sseninde afater being declared winner in the Thursday by-election. PHOTO | ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
The debt stems from costs awarded by the Court of Appeal to his predecessor, Mr Jackson Mbaju Kathika, on June 22, 2022
Mr Gideon Thembo Mujungu, the Busongora South legislator in Kasese District, is on the spot over failure to settle a debt of Shs183 million. The debt stems from costs awarded by the Court of Appeal to his predecessor, Mr Jackson Mbaju Kathika, on June 22, 2022.
According to the 2021 results, Mr Mujungu won the Busongora South seat, defeating Mr Mbaju by 87 votes after garnering 7,609 against votes Mr Mbaju’s 7,522 votes.
But Mr Mbaju successfully challenged Mr Mujungu’s victory in the Court of Appeal, prompting the Electoral Commission (EC) to organise a by-election that Mr Mujungu won again in August 18 last year.
Mr Mbaju first lost the petition against Mr Mujungu in the High Court in Fort Portal presided over by Justice Victoria Katamba. The judge argued that Mr Mbaju had not provided sufficient evidence linking Mr Mujungu to the electoral offences.
However, Mr Mbaju appealed the ruling of the High Court and on June 22, 2022, a panel of three justices of the Court of Appeal led by Fredrick Egonde-Ntende, unanimously ruled in Mbaju’s favour.
They stated that there was ample evidence of ballot pre-ticking, ballot stuffing, and multiple voting.
As a result, the Court of Appeal nullified Mr Mujungu’s victory and imposed a cost of Shs183 million.
Following the court’s decision, EC organised a by-election last year and Mr Mujungu emerged victorious with 12,088 votes, against Mr Mbaju’s 6,866 votes.
To date, Mr Mujungu has failed to honour the Court of Appeal costs. Consequently, on June 13, Mr Mbaju obtained an arrest warrant of Mr Mujungu from the High Court of Fort Portal, addressed to court bailiff Joneni Bwambale.
“He (Mr Mujungu) has been hiding but I am hunting for him. I am calling upon law enforcement officers in Kampala and Kasese to arrest MP Mujungu,” Mr Mbaju said.
Mr Mujungu recently filed an application for a review of costs in the High Court in Fort Portal, arguing that the Court of Appeal erred in imposing costs on him without finding him liable for electoral malpractices.
Response
When contacted MP Gideon Mujungu admitted that he has not paid Mr Jackson Mbaju.
“I am also not hiding although my presence in my constituency is limited because I know that he (Mbaju) would arrest me if he saw me. This is obviously affecting my performance,” Mr he said.
He further revealed that he had initiated mediation talks with Mbaju, awaiting a consent as he had already shared a payment plan.
