Court upholds Ochai's win in West Budama North MP seat

Tororo Chief Magistrate's Court has dismissed an application challenging the declaration of Max Ochai as the winner of the January 15 polls for West Budama County North Parliamentary race.

The application was filed by Richard Othieno Okoth, who contested as an independent candidate, requesting a vote recount for all polling stations in the constituency to rectify numerical errors that surfaced during tallying of results, which he claimed denied him victory.

Othieno claimed that failures by the district returning officer, Robert Twirize, to critically observe numerical errors cost him the win and can only be reclaimed through a vote recount.

However, trial Chief Magistrate Irene Nantebya dismissed the application, saying it had no merit to convince the court to order a vote recount.

"This application lacks merit to convince this court to order for vote recount and therefore ask the electoral commission to go ahead to gazette Max Ochai as duly elected Member of Parliament for West Budama County North constituency," Nantebya said in her ruling.

Max Ochai was declared the Member of Parliament for West Budama County Constituency on January 16, after polling 12,259 votes, while Othieno Okoth polled 12,255 votes.

Moments after dismissing the application, the applicant welcomed the court's decision but insisted that he would consult with his lawyers to see the next course of action.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, Dr Tanga Odoi, thanked the court for the decision but expressed disappointment over the court's failure to include costs.

"We are going Christian but we are also aggrieved because the court has not penalised the applicant for wasting court's time as well as the respondents' time," he said, pledging to support all NRM party flag bearers across the country.