The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Jinja has ordered the Electoral Commission to gazette Prossy Magoba as the duly elected female councillor for Jinja South West constituency, overturning the declaration of Mariam Nalumansi.
The ruling means Nalumansi, who has been serving as the deputy mayor of Jinja City, loses her seat on the council unless she successfully appeals the decision.
Chief Magistrate Gumtwero ruled on Tuesday that evidence presented in court showed that Magoba had won the election with 1,694 votes against Nalumansi’s 1,515.
Gumtwero said the evidence showed that the election petition filed by Magoba had merit and proceeded to declare her the duly elected female councilor for Jinja South West.
He advised Nalumansi to appeal if she was dissatisfied with the ruling and awarded costs to Magoba.
However, the magistrate adjourned the matter, saying a date for discussing the costs would be communicated to the parties.
Magoba, the National Unity Platform-NUP candidate, had petitioned the court seeking to overturn Nalumansi’s declaration by the Electoral Commission, arguing that she had obtained the highest number of votes but was wrongly denied victory.
Nalumansi rejected the allegations, maintaining that she had garnered the highest number of votes and had been duly declared the female representative for Jinja South West.
During the hearing, the parties presented evidence, including certified copies of declaration of results forms.
The court heard submissions from the parties before delivering its ruling.
Speaking after the ruling, Magoba welcomed the decision, saying it reflected the will of the electorate and that justice had been served.
She said residents of Jinja South West had gone without effective representation on the council for the past four months and that she would now work to catch up with other councillors and serve the interests of her constituents.
Magoba said youth unemployment would be among her priorities, adding that she intends to lobby for scholarships in vocational institutions to equip young people with skills to establish their own businesses.
Her election increases the number of opposition councilors in Jinja City Council to six, compared with seven councilors affiliated with the ruling National Resistance Movement-NRM.
One councillor is an independent. Nalumansi expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling but declined to comment further, saying she would consult her lawyers before deciding on the next course of action.
Nalumansi is a long-serving politician in Jinja. She served two terms as a councillor in the former Jinja Municipal Council between 2011 and 2021.
She first contested for the Jinja Southwest female councillor seat in the 2021 general elections, when Jinja had been elevated to city status, but lost to Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate Agnes Kadama. Nalumansi later remained active as an NRM grassroots mobiliser and was appointed deputy mayor by Jinja City Mayor Afiz Nagaya-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
