Otuoma linked to criminal activity in appeal hearing

By RENSON BULUMA

A petition challenging the election of Funyula MP Paul Otuoma took an interesting twist when the petitioner’s lawyers attempted to implicate the MP in past criminal activities.

Representing John Nagafwa, lawyers Alex Masika and Fred Oundo in an attempt to illustrate to the court that Otuoma’s election was not free and fair as it was marred with violence, tried to portray the former Local Government Cabinet minister as a violent man who gets his way through bullying.

“I want to demonstrate to you that you are a person of violent disposition and you have been intimidating people. You must answer the questions carefully because at the end of the day if you lie I will ask the court to reprimand you,” warned Masika on Monday afternoon.

The petitioner’s counsel then produced a 2008 court ruling in criminal case No 3 of 2007 where Dennis Mugwanga, Patrick Ouma, Kennedy Machio and Ojiambo Obada were charged with the alleged murder of two people but later acquitted after the court found them not guilty.

In the case, one witnesses, Fatuma Mansood Musa, had told High Court judge Mbogholi Msagha that she saw Otuoma cut one of the victims on the head with a machete.

Attempts by Siaya Senator James Orengo, representing Otuoma, to have the court stop Masika on what he termed ‘using the opportunity to thump the character of his client’, was overruled by judge Francis Tuiyott.

“My learned friend is trying to bash the character of my client in a skewed manner. Otuoma was not an accused person or a witness in the said case and even those who were accused were acquitted,” said Orengo. But the judge overruled Orengo.