The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Jackeline Birungi, the first petitioner in the case challenging the victory of Idah Erios Nantaba as Kayunga Woman Member of Parliament found a hard time defending accusations against her rival for using forged academic qualifications.
In her petition, Birungi who ran as an independent accused Nantaba of voter bribery and possessing forged academic documents. She claimed that whereas Nantaba’s Ordinary level certificate carries ‘Idah Nantaba E’, her Advanced level certificate only has ‘Idah Nantaba’.
During the hearing before Justice Olive Kazaarwe Mukwaya in Mukono High Court on Tuesday, Nantaba’s lawyer Ambrose Tibyasa tasked Birungi to substantiate her claims. He asked Birungi whether she bothered to visit Light Collage Katikamu where Nantaba sat her S4 and Mukono Town Academy for S6 to ascertain whether she indeed studied from the schools.
Birungi informed the court that she visited Light College Katikamu but the teachers were non cooperative. “My Lord, none of the teachers I found at Light Collage Katikamu was willing to respond to my queries so I thought the same thing would happen at other schools where the respondent claims to have studied from,” Birungi told the court.
She also admitted that she neither wrote to the Uganda National Examination Board-UNEB to fact check Nantaba’s education documents nor probed further to ascertain whether she signed a deed poll.
Tibyasa presented to the court copies of Nantaba’s original UCE and UACE certificates, a deed poll and declaration, two affidavits signed by George Gesera, a teacher who taught Nantaba at Light College and William Ssemwogerere, the Headteacher of Green Ville College where Nantaba studied her A level from before sitting her final exams at Mukono Town Academy.
Tibyasa told URN that he produced Denis Nyangweso, the Samia Bugwe Central MP who confirmed having studied with Nantaba ‘A’ level at Green Ville College, which didn’t have a UNEB center number prompting them to register at Mukono Town College.
Birungi’s lawyer Martin Asingwire Baryaruha told the court that his client could not verify Nantaba’s UACE documents and whether she studied at Mukono Town Academy since the school ceased to exist. Nantaba told URN that she is fighting a mafia which wants to bring her down.
Justice Mukwaya has set August 24 for further hearing of Birungi’s application. Nantaba faces two other petitions filed by the National Unity Platform former candidate Harriet Nakwede and Rittah Nabadda, a concerned citizen.
On Monday, the applicant’s lawyers objected to a proposal by Nantaba’s lawyer to consolidate the petitions to save time and resources. The lawyers reasoned that the applications of their clients contain different grounds that require different resolutions.
Nakwede’s application is scheduled for hearing on August 23 while that of Nabadda will come up on August 30.
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