Uganda president Yoweri Museveni. [Photo/www.newvision.co.ug]
Ugandan political leaders and activists have welcomed a verdict by Kenya's Supreme court to nullify the August 8 presidential election that saw President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the winner by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.The court on Friday said Uhuru was not validly elected and ordered for fresh polls within 60 days.The activists and MPs said the judgment was a big precedent for electoral democracy in Africa and the world in general.Crispin Kaheru, the coordinator of the Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) said all eyes are now set on countries that have been faced with election challenges, yet they have not delivered.Busiro East Member of Parliament Medard Ssegona Lubega said the court's decision shows that Kenyan judiciary is not under state pressure, and that other countries should be able to learn from that.Wasswa Birigwa, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) National chairperson said that the Kenyan Supreme Court has done what many saw as impossible. "In our case in Uganda, the Supreme Court judges were not courageous enough to pronounce themselves even with enough evidence. Now Kenya has showed Africa and the world an example. It is beautiful to see a country like Kenya go back to justice and fairness," Birigwa is quoted by Uganda radio network.
Other Ugandan legislators John Baptist Nambetsye for Manjiya County, Kumi Municipality MP Cyrus Aogon and Kasambya County MP Mbwatekamwa Gaffa all welcomed the ruling.