MBALE – A concerned Citizen wants the Member of Parliament for Bulambuli Mr Alex Burundo charged with perjury and authenticity of his academic papers investigated.
Mr Sula Kato, a local voter in Bulambuli has also asked the Bulambuli Member of Parliament, Mr Alex Burundo to resign his seat for alleged lack of the requisite academic qualifications.
Mr Kato a voter in Bulambuli, Buyaga cell, central parish in Bukhalu sub-county says he wants Mr Burundo to leave parliament for lack of the requisite educational qualifications for a member of parliament or its equivalent.
“Mr Burundo, contested and was illegally nominated as an MP for Bulambuli county in Bulambuli district, elected and served as an MP contrary to the Constitution of Uganda and electoral laws of Uganda there under,” reads part of the complaint to Electoral Commission.
Although a member of parliament is expected to have a minimum of Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education or its equivalent, Parliament just remains a recipient of members presented by the Electoral Commission.
Forgery is a serious offence under the laws of Uganda and one may be imprisoned to a period of seven years in prison and once found guilty forging documents a person may be charged with; Falsifying documents contrary to section 345 of the Penal code Act and making documents without authority contrary to section 355 of the Penal Code Act.
Mr Kato intends to bring legal action against Mr Burundo and the Attorney General in his right as a taxpayer and seek a court order declaring his stay in parliament and continued receipt of salary as unlawful.
But Mr Burundo insists that he possesses the required minimum academic qualifications and that he was ably and legally nominated as MP in 2016.
He further said that Mr Kato’s allegations are simply deceptive, malicious, fraudulent and contain elements of defamation-a ground he added was considering engaging lawyers for rebuttal.
“I have done a diploma in Education from Kyambogo University, I also possess a degree in Education with several certificates and there is no way I would have gone to these reputable academic institutions without academic papers, said Mr Burundo July 23 by phone.
But Mr Kato insists that the academic papers in the MP’s possession belong to Musingo Alex who sat O’level from Mbale SS and joined A’level at Aggrey memorial, later he joined Institute of Teacher Education in 1998 to pursue a diploma in Education and later joined UPDF.
“The MP’s name is Mr Burundo Alex, he is clearly known in Bulambuli because he was an LCIII chairman but the papers he is using now have Mr BURUNDO MUSINGO MUNGOMA ALEX,” said Mr Kato.
Source privy to the Investigations revealed that when the MP sought to contest the parliamentary seat in 2016, he declined to take the proficiency test, swore an affidavit [Musamali & Co advocates] for change of names and uttered the forged academic certificates to EC to be cleared to contest.
A letter from UNEB dated December 22, 2015 signed by Mr Dan N. Odong, the executive secretary UNEB says in UNEB records, they don’t have Burundo Musingo Mungoma Alex but that they have Musingo Alex who registered in 1992 at Mbale secondary school.
“In our records we have Musingo Alex under registration No. U0051/198 and he registered for UACE in 1998 at Aggrey Memorial under registration No. U0089/519 with the subject combination of History, Economics, Geography and Luganda,” reads the letter signed by Mr Odong
A result slip accessed by this reporter also indicates that the person who sat examinations under registration No. U0051/198 was Musingo Alex.
Other records accessed by The Street Journal also indicate that the said Musingo Alex was admitted at Institute of Teacher Education, Kyambogo [ITEK] under registration No. 98/NGT/212 for a teaching course in Political Education and Geography which he completed in 2000.
Mr Kato says that Mr Burundo never went passed senior four and that he is using UCE and UACE results and name of Musingo Alex.
“Musingo Alex, Burundo Musingo Alex and Burundo Alex Musingo are three different people, to worsen the whole process; he has combined the three names which don’t rhyme as required by law. Before nomination, the NRM EC should first ask for his O’level certificate,” said Mr Kato.
When The Street Journal accessed the pay slip of Mr Burundo when he was the LCIII chairman in Bukhalu sub-county in Bulambuli under salary scale DPLG6-DISTPOL-1-1, it was under his real name Burundo Alex.
“And when he printed his posters for election, the name that was there in the beginning was Burundo Alex, we wonder why he changed the name by swearing an affidavit [Deed Poll] May 14, 2015 which deed was never published in any paper,” said Mr Kato.
Mr Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission chairperson nominated aspirants vying for elections as NRM party candidates with Mr Burundo among them after discovering that their academic papers were genuine.
What does this mean to the MP
The court is likely to order Mr Burundo [MP Bulambuli] once found guilty of acquiring fake academic documents or forgery in order to gain entry into parliament to refund all the salary and allowances he has been drawing.
