The Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala has issued a warrant of arrest against businessman Shukla Shumuk Mukesh for failing to pay over Shs73 million in election petition costs to Nakawa West Member of Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi.
According to the warrant arrest issued on Wednesday July 13th by the court’s deputy registrar, every officer of the Uganda Police Force has been directed to ensure that Mr. Mukesh’s “arrest is done in a peaceful and lawful manner”.
“Whereas Mukeshi Shukla Babubhai was adjudged by the order of this court and ordered by a decree in election petition No. 009 of 2021 & MA 340 $ MA 561 of 2021 to pay the decree holder costs of the petition and the applications as sum of Shs 73,050,000, being the costs of the petition in execution,” reads part of the warrant.
“This is to direct you (Uganda Police) to arrest and bring the judgment debtor before this court with all convenience and speed unless the said sum is paid.”
“You are further commanded to return this warrant by 30th August 2022 with an endorsement certifying the day on which and the manner in which it has been executed or the reason why it has not been executed,” the arrest warrant adds.
It should be remembered that Court of Appeal presided over by Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Justice Stephen Musota and Justice Christopher Gashirabake ordered Mukesh to pay the two respondents (EC and Ssenyonyi) half of their costs after losing his Appeal where he wanted Ssenyonyi’s victory canceled.
Justice Isaac Muwata of the High Court had earlier dismissed Mukesh’s petition at the High Court noting that even if he won the 8 polling stations where he claims that Ssenyonyi and the EC committed a lot of electoral offences, he wouldn’t have won the race.
Mukesh dragged Ssenyonyi to court after losing the Nakawa West Parliamentary elections on January 14th, 2021. Ssenyonyi who ran on NUP ticket won the polls with 30,847 votes. Mukesh came sixth after polling 806 votes.
Mukesh accused the respondents of committing offences of ballot stuffing by changing the electoral results and failing to sign the declaration of results forms with support from the Electoral Commission.
During the process of hearing his petition, Mukesh filed a number of applications which were also dismissed with costs.
