Last year was a challenge for the ruling NRM party, which had numerous of its MPs thrown out of parliament in election petitions.
In Teso sub region in particular, three NRM MPs were ejected by courts, but somehow all three have regained their seats.
The first Mp to retain her seat was Serere Woman Mp Hellen Adoa followed by Serere county Mp Patrick Okabe and today the Court of Appeal siting in Kampala made another landmark ruling in favour of the Katakwi Woman Mp Viola Akurut Adome.
Akurut’s victory was challenged by Simon Peter Emorut, a concerned voter in Usuk County Katakwi.
He contended that her election as Katakwi Woman Member of Parliament was unlawful since she didn’t resign her job at Uganda Human Rights Commission and continued to receive monthly monuments from there.
Last year, Soroti high court’s Justice David Wangutusi threw out of the 10th Parliament Ms. Akurut on these grounds.
David Wangutusi’s ruled that, the amended constitution of 2005 mandates every public servant to resign 90 days before she/he joins elective politics.
But today, three judges of the Appellant Court headed by Deputy Chief Justice Steven Kavuma quashed the high court ruling noting that there was no basis of throwing Akurut out of Parliament.
The judges ruled that Akurut was not working with a government entity that grants her to resign from her position 90 days before nomination day.
The judges deduced that Akurut being a commissioner was not an not an employee of the UHRC therefore not a public servant.