Age limit critic turned supporter 'overnight', trounced in Igara East by-elections
Andrew Martial, a formerly vocal critic of the age limit removal was on Thursday trounced by Independent NRM leaning candidate Michael Mawanda.
Mawanda garnered 16,209 of the vote against Martial’s 12,991 votes to emerge victorious in the polls that registered a fairly low turn out.
Keep Reading
Other candidates in the race included; Benjamin Katana who polled 1,477 votes, FDC’s Christine Ninsima who managed 497 votes and Bedad Kananura who obtained 76 votes.
“Accordingly, as returning officer for Bushenyi Electoral District and in accordance with section 58 (1) of the parliament elections Act, I declare Mawanda Michael Maraga who has obtained the largest number of votes, the elected Member of Parliament Igara East Constituency, Bushenyi District,” returning officer Godfrey Mbabazi declared.
According to Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CCEDU) country coordinator, Crispin Kaheru; “The Igara East by-election has been a mixed bag; of a fair level of electoral management organisation on one hand coupled with glaring malpractices on the other hand, mainly orchestrated by some candidates and their agents.”
The seat fell vacant on October 3 after court quashed the election of Andrew Martial over voter bribery and electoral irregularities.
Martial, a former protocol officer in State House Uganda had started getting vocal against the age limit removal. Indeed, during the last rally that was addressed by the NRM Party chairman, Yoweri Museveni in Ruhumuro, the former legislator was asked to publicly declare his support for the age limit removal.
Martial then indicated that “I have never said those things. I am one of the people who support the age limit removal.”
