MINISTER KICKED OUT OF PARLIAMENT

Mr Engola  

By BILL OKETCH & PATRICK EBONG

OYAM. - The High Court in Lira has ordered that the Electoral Commission conducts fresh election for Oyam North parliamentary seat in Oyam District after throwing the elected legislator out of Parliament.

The court yesterday ruled that Defence state minister Charles Okello Engola Macodwogo (NRM) be kicked out of the August House over the disparity in the names appearing on his academic papers.

The ruling follows an earlier petition by former Oyam North MP Krispus Ayena Odongo of the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC).
Court heard that the academic papers used for his nomination bore the names; Okello P Charles Engola whereas the one he presented in court and the name he used for registering for the national Identity Card is Okello Engola Charles Macodwogo.

Delivering the ruling yesterday, Justice Night Percy Tuhaise said there is a variation in the academic papers presented in court by Okello Engola and the one he presented to the Electoral Commission for his nomination. “…. the name Okello P. Charles appears in all the academic papers presented in this court, including the master’s degree, which is different from the name Okello Charles Engola Macodwogo that the petitioner used in the petition as his (Okello’s) name,” said Judge Tuhaise.

She also said Mr Okello Engola had failed to explain to the court the disparity in the name.

The judge ordered the National Council for Higher Education and Mr Okello Engola to pay half of the cost of the suit to the petitioner.
Four candidates were battling for the seat; Charles Okello Engola (NRM) had garnered 21,785 votes, Ayena Odongo (UPC) had got 15,796 votes while George Ojwang Opota (Independent) and Willy Omodo Omodo (Independent) had got 9,156 and 3,537 votes respectively.
CREDIT: DAILY MONITOR