Masaka Chief Magistrate Charles Yeteise has confirmed Francis Katabaazi of the National Unity Platform (NUP) as the Kalungu East MP-elect after cancelling a vote recount exercise when one of the ballot boxes was found to have been tampered with.
Agriculture Minister Vincent Ssempijja on Monday petitioned Masaka Chief Magistrate’s Court seeking vote recount on grounds that his agents at the 25 contested polling stations were dismissed from the polling stations which gave a chance to Katabazi’s camp to rig votes in his favor costing him victory.
Katabaazi’s attempt to block vote recount on Tuesday was failed after the magistrate dismissed his application seeking to stay execution of the recount.
However, during the vote recount exercise at Jude primary school in Lukaya town council, one of the ballot boxes was found to have been tampered with.
It is against this background that the magistrate upheld the election results in which Katabaazi was declared winner.
Neither Ssempijja nor his lawyers were ready to talk to journalists by press time.