Ugandan MP missing in Kenya's capital after boarding taxi

By Nyaboga Kiage, NAIROBI Kenya

Kenya Police in Nairobi city are investigating an incident where a Ugandan Member of Parliament went missing in the city.

David Wandendeya Wakikona, the Bududa Member of Parliament in Uganda was reported missing after he boarded an Uber taxi from the Kilimani area to the City Center.

The matter was reported to the police at the Kilimani Police Station by Talibet Kibet who was accompanied by Emmanuel Opio.

“Mr Wakikona had checked in at Samura Court along Argwings Kodhek road on October 3, 2022, together with his colleagues and his whereabouts remain unknown,” a police report filed at Kilimani Police Station reads in part.

At the time he boarded the motor vehicle from Kilimani in Dagoretti North Sub County, he left behind his colleagues Abdi Kisos, John Ngoya, Paul Busiro and Opio Emmanuel who is the Clerk of the Ugandan National Assembly.

The politician was picked up by a vehicle registration number KCS 466G which was being driven by Robert Wang’ombe, police said.

The MP had asked the guard manning the entrance to Samura Court to hail an Uber taxi on his behalf and his destination was to be Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi County.

Wakikona is a member of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) whose leader is Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni.

Born in November 1950, the political leader joined politics in 2001, when he contested the parliamentary seat of Manjiya County in Bududa District.

He has also served as the state minister for Northern Uganda a position he was appointed to in June 2006.

He served in the position until May 2011 and during a cabinet reshuffle, he was moved to the State Ministry of Trade and Antiquities portfolio.

Since he was re-elected in the January 2021 Uganda general election, has been fighting a case in court challenging his academic qualifications.

His main opponent in the last elections Wilson Watila moved to court challenging his win.

Watila garnered 2,177 votes against 4,108 polled by Wakikona.

The former rejected the poll results and petitioned Mbale High Court accusing his nemesis of electoral malpractices, which denied him victory.

He also cited discrepancies in the names on the academic documents of his rival, saying that he did not swear a poll deed before his nomination. 

Watila claimed that the ‘O’-Level certificate presented by his rival shows that he is David Wakikona Wanendeya while the ‘A’-level certificate reads Wakikona Wanendeya David.

He also said that his certificate from Soroti flying school carries Wakikona D. Wanendeya while his advanced flying certificate reads Wakikona David.  

But Wakikona’s lawyers of Tumusiime Kabega and Co. Advocates told the court that the affidavits that accompanied the petition were incurably defective since they were prepared by a commissioner of oaths who never had a valid practicing certificate. - Nation