Court summons musician Bosmic Otim over academic papers

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | The High Court in Kampala has summoned musician Bosmic Joyce Otim to response to a suit lodged by Charles Ocaya, a loser in the just concluded NRM primary elections for Chua West County.

The summons stem from a suit Ocaya filed on Wednesday at the High Court civil division in Kampala, challenging Otim’s academic documents, the basis of which he was nominated by the NRM party to contest in Chua West County in Kitgum district.

His contention stems from Bosmic Otim’s dismal performance in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education sitting in which he failed General Paper, History and Christian Religious Education and never sat for the Economics paper.

Last month, the Uganda National Examinations Board-[UNEB] Executive Secretary Dan Odongo clarified that the artist did not qualify for the award of a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education certificate after releasing his verified results. Ugandan laws demand that any person contesting for a parliamentary position must have an A’level certificate or its equivalent.

Ocaya’s earlier petition which was seeking nullification of Otim’s nomination was dismissed by the NRM Electoral Commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi late last month when he maintained Otim as a candidate in the recent NRM primaries which he won with a landslide victory.

Ocaya is now praying to the high court to nullify the nomination and stop Otim from further competing in the Chua West Parliamentary race. He also wants to be declared as the NRM flag bearer in Chua West county. Also summoned by the court is the National Resistance Movement Organisation and the National Electoral Commission.

Otim now has less than 15 days to file a defence to the high court. “Should you fail to file a written statement of defence on or before the due date, the plaintiff may proceed with the suit and judgement may be given in your absence,” Dr Alex Mushabe Karocho, the Registrar of the High Court Civil Division said.

Otim, however, told Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Saturday that he hasn’t yet received a copy of the summons.

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