NRM’s Blaise Kamugisha thrown out of national youth elections for being too old
The Electoral Commission has thrown National Resistance Movement’s Blaise Kamugisha out of the national youth elections for being too old.
Kamugisha’s disqualification comes on the backdrop of a petition filed by a group of youths led by one Chris Moses Mufakinanye saying the former national crime preventers’ boss is too old to contest in youth elections.
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However, in a November, 4,2020 letter, the EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama said that Kamugisha was elected chairperson Rwencwera 1, village and Kyera Parish youth council leader under a national ID with his date of birth as January, 6, 1990 and that the same is corroborated by information on his passport that shows he will be past the required age of 30 to be elected as a youth representative.
“In view of the foregoing, the commission has found that Blaise Kamugisha is overage for purposes of the National Youth Committee election. He is therefore not eligible to progressively be elected to the Youth Committee at national level,”Byabakama said in the letter also copied to the Wakiso returning officer for the National Youth Council and Committee elections, Isingiro Electoral Commission returning officer and Kamugisha himself.
The development comes barely hours to the nomination of candidates in the national youth council elections today.
The Nile Post has also learnt that Kamugisha was great friends with Mufakinanye but later fell out, prompting the latter to petition the Electoral Commission over the former’s age.
Whereas Kamugisha was the national coordinator of the National Crime Preventers Forum, Mufakinanye was the group’s spokesperson.
https://nilepost.co.ug/2018/07/02/crime-preventers-boss-flees-country-museveni-calls-him-back/
Under section 1(g) of the National Youth Council Act, cap 319, a youth means a person between the age of 18 and 30 years.
The act however stipulates under section 8(9) that any person holding an office in a youth council shall not vacate office on the sole reason that he or she has attained 30 years of age at any time during his or her term of office.
