Court Orders Vote Recount in Kalungu East Parliamentary Election

The Masaka Chief Magistrate, Albert Asiimwe, has ordered a recount of ballots cast in the Kalungu East parliamentary election to establish the exact number of votes obtained by each candidate.

The court issued the order following an application filed by former Minister of Defence, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, who is challenging the declaration of National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer Yusufu Kiruruuta Nkeretanyi as the winner of the election.

Ssempijja contends that the Electoral Commission miscalculated results from several polling stations, leading to what he describes as an erroneous declaration that denied him victory.

According to the Electoral Commission, Nkeretanyi won the election with 15,473 votes, while Ssempijja garnered 13,298 votes.

However, Ssempijja alleges that the Returning Officer allocated non-existent ballots to Nkeretanyi. He therefore petitioned the court to order the reopening of ballot boxes and conduct a recount.

In his ruling, the trial magistrate granted the application and directed that the recount be conducted at 3:00 p.m. at the Kalungu District Electoral Commission offices.