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Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Masaka Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe, has cautioned voters in constituencies whose election results are challenged against abandoning their work to overcrowd courts where disputes are being heard.
His remarks come after several contestants in the recently concluded general polls filed applications seeking to challenge election results as declared by the Electoral Commission.
At least five applications for votes recount and re-tallying of ballots have so far been filed in the Masaka Chief Magistrate’s Court registry by the different candidates who participated in parliamentary elections in the greater Masaka.
While commencing to hear the application of vote recount filed by former Minister of Defense Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, who challenges the declaration of NUP’s Yusufu Nkeretanyi as the MP-elect for Kalungu East constituency, the trial Masaka Chief Magistrate expressed concern about tendencies by politicians to mobilize supporters to abandon their work and overcrowd court premises in the guise of following the proceedings.
Asiimwe observes that there is no need for voters who finished casting their ballots for their candidates to flock to court where they have no relevance.
”We should not have people losing businesses and livelihoods because they are following up politicians, who are arguing about the results. The politics ended in the field, we should not carry it to courts,” he noted.
Besides crowding limited court spaces, he said the unnecessarily big numbers of supporters moving around litigants are a huge maintenance burden to the candidates who already incurred heavy expenses during campaigns.
On the other hand, the Chief Magistrate called upon the litigating politicians to desist from any attempts at manipulating the trial proceedings, saying that such schemes will not have space in the court.
Moses Kakooza, a NUP supporter who followed up on the hearing on his vote recount application for Kalungu West MP elections, says their motivation for attending court is the desire to follow up on the proceedings.
He dismisses the magistrate’s fear of imposing a burden on the candidates, saying the voters mobilise resources to cater for their transport costs.
Currently, the various tree shades in the compound of Masaka High Court premises and the verandas are already occupied by dozens of supporters who are dressed in the attires of various politicians who are arguing election petitions.
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