Student petitions Nkumba guild speaker over electoral reforms

By James Mubi
A third-year law student Apollo Oloo John 26 has lodged a complaint with the speaker of the house (Nkumba Varsity) to hold an urgent Parliamentary session to debate matters of electoral reforms.

In a petition letter dated March14 to the speaker Hon: Kago Mahande Joshua, Mr. Oloo pointed out two electoral reforms; these include disbanding all members of the outgoing executive and getting an independent electoral commission. Members of the outgoing executive, go on a wild card basis as electoral commissioners with the Justice Minister being the chair of EC raising doubt over the competence of these members.

Secondly, he said that the two voting days that is Friday and Saturday should be changed to a single day on grounds that vote rigging and alliances are bound to happen. When Nkumba Times asked him the rationale behind his electoral reforms, he had this to say “I was a victim of circumstances; I lost last guild elections by virtue of political alliance after leading the first voting day.” In the petition letter, he said that “There is no specialty case for Nkumba since other University vote on one day.”

Mr. Oloo was the runner-up in the last guild elections were five candidates vied for the seat. Mr. Okebe Nathan emerged the winner in a hard fought victory after making coalition with Mr. Opolot Simon Luke who earned himself a position of Finance Minster.
The former EC chairman Mr. Nuwahereza Hilary gave his voice over the matter “I support him and that provision is included in the Constitution that I amended.” However, the amend Constitution both hard and soft copy got lost mysteriously that, led to the sacking of Lufunya Derick as Justice Minster.

The move comes at a time when the guild elections are only a month a way in which Oloo has declared interest. However, he told Nkumba Times that he will not contest if his petition flops. He is pitted against Khalayi Catherine, Lufunya Derick, Mbabazi Cleophus, Kago Mahande Joshua, Kiyimba Tony all law students, Junior William Dng and Negesa Ninah Zainah a journalism student.