The Masaka Grade One Chief Magistrate's Court has halted the recount of votes for the Kalungu East parliamentary seat after discovering that five ballot boxes had been tampered with, raising serious doubts about the integrity of the recount exercise.
The decision followed an earlier court order directing a full recount of votes across the entire Kalungu East constituency after a petition filed by former minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja.
According to court findings, five ballot boxes were found broken into, while one ballot box had not been counted at all, despite containing ballots for all elective positions, including the presidency and parliamentary seats.
The recount had been ordered after Ssempijja petitioned court, seeking a recount in Bukulula Sub-county and Lukaya Town Council, citing discrepancies in Declaration of Results (DR) forms from 11 polling stations.
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Although Ssempijja's application was limited to only the two areas, the court earlier ordered that the recount be conducted across the entire Kalungu East constituency--a decision that attracted strong objections from lawyers representing National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Yusuf Kiruruuta Nkerettanyi.
Court proceedings took a dramatic turn when the magistrate ordered the opening of the ballot storage facility to separate ballot boxes for Kalungu East and Kalungu West, which had been stored together. It was during this exercise that the five ballot boxes with broken seals were discovered, prompting Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe to immediately suspend the recount.
The ballot boxes found with broken seals were from the following polling stations: Madrasat Tawfiiq Mosque in Bugomola Parish, Lwabenge Sub-county; Kabaale II Kukyaazi in Bugonzi Parish, Bukulula Sub-county; Elite High School in Bugomola Parish, Lwabenge Sub-county; Kisawuula LC I in Kitawuluzi, Lusangi Parish, Bukulula Sub-county; and Kamutuuza Kukifunvu in Bugonzi Parish, Bukulula Sub-county.
Earlier in his ruling, the magistrate had cautioned that any evidence of ballot box tampering would automatically lead to the cancellation of the recount exercise--a warning that was later enforced.
Reacting to the development, lawyers representing Nkerettanyi, led by Samuel Muyizzi, described the process as politically motivated rather than a purely legal exercise and announced plans to appeal to a higher court, despite the recount being halted.
On his part, Ssempijja said he had not received justice, insisting that his concerns about the electoral process had been vindicated. He also revealed plans to appeal, stating that the matter was far from concluded.
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"Those boxes were not opened by themselves; only God knows what happened," Ssempijja said.
The Kalungu East parliamentary race attracted five candidates: Irene Nanyanzi (Independent), Asuman Kabonge (Democratic Party), Matias Kintu (Democratic Front), Vicente Bamulangaki Ssempijja (NRM), and Yusuf Kiruruuta Nkerettanyi (NUP).
Nkerettanyi was declared the winner with 15,437 votes, while Ssempijja garnered 13,298 votes--a margin of 2,641 votes.
The court's decision to halt the recount now shifts focus to the appeal process, as both sides prepare for another legal battle over the highly contested Kalungu East parliamentary seat.
