Former Mawogola South Member of Parliament Goreth Namugga has accused security personnel of assaulting her during the recent parliamentary elections, alleging that the incident hindered her ability to monitor the electoral process and contributed to her defeat.
Namugga, who contested on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, made the allegations while testifying before the court in Masaka in an election petition challenging the victory of her National Resistance Movement (NRM) rival, Dez Byuma Oswaldo.
In her petition, Namugga alleges that the election was marred by irregularities, including alterations to declaration forms, improper handling of electoral materials and the appointment of presiding officers whom she claims had links to a school owned by Byuma.
Testifying before trial judge Rosette Kania, Namugga recounted what she described as a violent encounter with security personnel while monitoring the election, saying the incident put her life at risk.
“I was terribly manhandled by men in uniform to the extent that I could have been killed. I was rescued by the Regional Police Commander (RPC) of the Lyantonde region. We were badly beaten as I was monitoring my election,” Namugga told the court.
She argued that the alleged assault prevented her from effectively monitoring the voting process, creating an opportunity for electoral malpractice that she believes contributed to Byuma’s victory.
The former legislator also challenged the appointment of presiding officers at several polling stations, alleging that some were teachers at Dez Junior School, which she identified as belonging to Byuma.
According to Namugga, 16 of the 95 polling stations in Mawogola South were presided over by teachers from the school.
She asked the court to scrutinise the conduct of the officials, alleging that several polling stations under their supervision were affected by discrepancies in declaration forms, failures to account for ballot materials and irregularities in voter access.
“These teachers were presiding officers, and out of the 95 polling stations, 16 were presided over by teachers from the first respondent’s school. When you look at the polling stations they presided over, there were serious alterations on the declaration forms, failure to account for ballot materials and issues concerning voter access,” Namugga told the court.
She further alleged that voting at some polling stations started and ended earlier than the prescribed times, raising questions about the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
Namugga wants the court to examine the alleged discrepancies and determine whether they substantially affected the election results.
During the proceedings, Namugga sought to present video footage that she said showed irregularities and disorder during the Mawogola South parliamentary elections.
However, the footage was rejected following an objection by Byuma’s lawyer, Godfrey Kandeebe, who argued that there was insufficient evidence to establish that the recordings had been made within the constituency where the alleged electoral offences occurred.
The objection centred on whether the footage could be adequately linked to the constituency and relied upon as evidence in support of the petition.
The rejection dealt a setback to Namugga’s case, as she had sought to use the recordings to substantiate her allegations of electoral malpractice.
Through the petition, Namugga is asking the court to nullify Byuma’s victory and order a fresh election, arguing that the alleged irregularities undermined the credibility of the electoral process.
She maintains that voters in Mawogola South deserve another opportunity to elect their representative in a free and fair contest.
The petition places the conduct of electoral officials, the handling of election materials and the alleged involvement of security personnel at the centre of the legal dispute.
Byuma and his legal team have defended the election outcome, maintaining that the voting process in Sembabule District was peaceful and that he won through a free and fair electoral process.
Their position contrasts with Namugga’s allegations, setting the stage for a legal contest over the validity of the results.
The court is expected to continue examining the evidence presented by both sides before determining the petition.
The outcome will establish whether Byuma retains the Mawogola South parliamentary seat or whether the court orders a fresh election.
The hearing is ongoing, and the allegations presented by Namugga remain subject to the court’s determination.