Minister Mugasa withdraws election petition filed against Hoima city mayor

Masindi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | State Minister for Public Service Grace Mary Mugasa has withdrawn an election petition she had filed against Hoima city mayor Brian Kaboyo.

Mugasa who contested with Kaboyo in the Hoima mayoral race filed the petition before Masindi High Court alleging that Kaboyo committed numerous electoral offences before and during the polls which were held early this year, by engaging in voter bribery and malpractice.

Kaboyo polled 12,451 votes to beat Mugasa, the incumbent in the race which attracted three other candidates. Mugasa had 12,298 votes while the other candidates, Dan Kaija of Uganda People’s Congress-UPC had 315 votes, Rashid Tumusiime of the National Unity Platform managed 303 votes, and Wycliffe Tumusiime of the Forum for Democratic Change-FDC came last with 215 votes.

However, while appearing before Justice Musa Sekaana for the hearing of the petition at Masindi High Court yesterday, Mugasa’s lead lawyer Brian Othieno requested the court to have the case withdrawn. Othieno told the court that the decision was necessitated by the need to foster peace and harmony in the National Resistance Movement-NRM party to which both Mugasa and Kaboyo belong.

He added that the decision was also reached in the spirit of reconciliation between both parties and the people of Hoima city. However, Othieno requested the court to let both parties bear their own election and court costs in order to achieve reconciliation.

Kaboyo’s lead lawyer Kenneth Nsubuga did not object to Othieno’s request to withdraw the petition but objected to the request seeking the parties to incur their own costs. Nsubuga argued that the petitioner withdrew the case long after the respondent incurred costs and requested the court to award costs to the respondent. Justice Sekaana concurred with the submission and he accordingly awarded half costs to the respondent.

Speaking after the court session, Kaboyo welcomed Mugasa’s gesture which he termed as a relief to him and that it will enable him to co-operate with her in developing Hoima city and for the good of their party. He added that they will seat and sort out the issues amicably.

Mugasa said that she was not forced to withdraw the case revealing she did it in the interest of the NRM party and to promote peace and unity among the people of Hoima city and the entire Bunyoro sub-region. She called for peace, unity and above all reconciliation among all the NRM supporters in Hoima city adding that she will engage Kaboyo on how they can handle the issues of costs, they incurred in court.

Mugasa becomes the second petitioner to withdraw an election petition from Masindi High Court. On Monday, Wilson Isingoma Mugimba withdrew a petition he had filed against Masindi district chairperson Cosmas Byaruhanga.

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