ODOI COURT PETITION: NIRA Officials in Panic Mode Over Age Alteration

By Markson Omagor

 

MBALE

The court petition against the election of Bernard Odoi Mutusa as Eastern Uganda MP filed yesterday by Aliza Sumuya Balunywa has raised temperatures at National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA).

 

In the petition, NIRA is 2^nd Respondent after Odoi himself, and some officials in NIRA are being accused for allegedly conniving with Odoi to change his age.

 

The same officials are purported to have issued Odoi with another National ID to facilitate the change of Date of Birth.

 

According to evidence seen by this website, Odoi applied for replacement of lost, defaced or damaged National Identity Card with NIN CM860391023NJK on the 3rd of June 2014 and tendered it to the NIRA with his date of birth as 28th August 1986.

 

However, on 28^th July, 2020, the same Odoi furnished the Electoral Commission with Voter’s Personal details using National ID with NIN 1140720001KQC. The details which were later certified by Diara N.T Kateeba on behalf of the Secretary Electoral Commission indicate that Odoi was born on 27^th August 1990.

 

 

This date however, would still have locked out Odoi from participating in the Youth elections because that date would have made him 30 years and 4 months by the time he was nominated.

 

 

The same date of birth of 27^th August 1990 is captured as such in the Village Youth Council nomination Register for the period July/August, 2020.

 

 

Odoi’s birth certificate issued on the 10^th March 2005 by the Tororo District Administration shows that he was born on 28^th August 1982.

 

Questions that NIRA MUST answer

 

1. How did Odoi’s National ID number change from NIN 1140720001KQC indicating the D.O.B as 27^th August 1990 to NIN CM860391023NJK showing the D.O.B as 28^th August 1991.
2. Which documents did NIRA base on to change Odoi’s date of birth when the birth certificate shows D.O.B as 28th August 1986.

 

The NIRA letter addressed to the Electoral Commission certifying Odoi’s date of Birth as 28^th August 1991 was dated 28^th July 2020 and signed off by a one Consolate Nyesige on behalf of Director, Registration and Operations NIRA.

 

Even if we are to go by Odoi’s assertion that he was born on the 28/08/1991, the Nomination Form for NRM Aspiring Candidates which he filled in his own handwriting trashes everything about his new age.

 

The Form indicates that Odoi sat for his O’ Level examinations in 1999! The implication is that Odoi sat for UCE Exams when he was a mere 8 year old kid.

 

The years Odoi sat for O’ Level and A’ Level are corroborated by UNEB Letter of Verification of Results issued by UNEB on the 14^th of September 2010.

 

The letter indicates that Odoi sat for his UCE at Tororo Progressive Academy in 1999 and UACE in Lugazi Homeland College in 2009.