The Electoral Commission has asked the High court in Kampala to dismiss with costs Presidential Aspirant Joseph Kabuleta’s application seeking to cancel the revised road map for the 2021 elections saying it is incompetent.
That Kabuleta’s application is also an abuse of court process on account of his failure to exhaust existing remedies available with a public body as required by law; and then disguised his application as one of enforcement of human rights yet it is not.
Through a law firm; Ntambirweki Kandeebe and Company Advocates, the Secretary EC- Sam Rwakoojo maintains that the road map as revised is reasonable in the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances and is not intended to interfere with the freedom and independence of the aspiring candidates.
Rwakoojo says the revised road map does not seek to arbitrarily gag the public at large from taking part in a free and fair election as alleged by Kabuleta, but rather to regulate the Political Campaigns for an elected office which must be conducted in accordance with the law basing on timetables/schedules agreed upon by the candidates and the Returning Officer.
Joseph Kabuleta, through his Lawyer Daniel Waryemera had wanted Presiding Judge Esta Nambayo to first issue a temporary injunction blocking the implementation of the revised road map pending hearing of the main case.
However, Kandeebe informed court that Kabuleta’s failure to first file a complaint with the Electoral Commission before going to court, can alone dispose off the entire case.
Its against this background that Justice Nambayo directed the parties in this case to put their evidence in writing, file and serve it to each other and come back to court on 14th/August/2020 for a ruling.
