By Mulengera Reporters
Over the last weekend, Gen Museveni took to twitter formerly X and collectively lambasted the Supreme Court whose seven Justices had a few days earlier crippled his Court Martial arrangement by making it clear that Ugandan civilians had no business being tried by army courts.
It was made clear that much as these are courts in their own right, they are best suited to conduct disciplinary hearings targeting soldiers and not criminal trials because they aren’t competent courts to the standard required under Articles 28(1) and 44 (c) of the 1995 Constitution.
Museveni, who had just received a brief regarding the judgement’s implications from AG Kiwanuka Kiryowa, was unequivocal in stating that Uganda is ruled or governed by the people and not judges many of whom he accused of basing on foreign-oriented ideas which blurs their way of looking at the Ugandan reality. His public statement cowed his government officials some of whom had earlier on praised the Supreme Court for creating so much clarity.
Since that outburst, Museveni (whose powerful son Gen MK, the CDF, has equally had no kind words for the Supreme Court so far) has skipped two major judiciary events. On Friday, he skipped the new year law day event at the High Court in Kampala where he had been invited to preside over.
He sent Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to represent him. He previously and cheerfully had attended another huge Judiciary event at the same venue to commemorate the Ben Kiwanuka day.
Days prior to the Friday event, the President had skipped the opening ceremony for the annual judges conference in Kampala where he had equally been invited. He sent Speaker Anita Among to represent him. This was all indicative of a President who remains angry and is still hurting over the Court Martial debacle.
As all that was happening, the same Museveni did elsewhere promote CJ Alfonse Owinyi-Dollo’s wife Florence Nakacwa to the lucrative position of being a Court of Appeal judge. The highly qualified Nakacwa (a former Deputy Director at LDC) had for years been serving as a High Court and had for the past two years been serving under High Court circuit of Mukono.
She is barely 15 years on the bench though much of her other complementary experience was that of lecturing at LDC where she generously mentored hundreds of young lawyers.
Having been processed by the JSC and subsequently nominated by Gen Museveni (who is supposed to be angry at Dollo over the Court Martial ruling), Nakacwa will on Monday be among those to be vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
She will most likely go through that vetting and proceed to become a member of Uganda’s Court of Appeal where she will be enrolling with seven others including Musa Sekaana, Esta Nambayo, John Mike Musisi, Jesse Rugyema Byaruhanga, Stella Alibateese, Cornelia Sabiiti Kakooza and Ketra Kitariisibwa Katunguka whose husband Prof Elly Katunguka was for years the chief vet doctor for Gen Museveni’s private cattle ranches.
A resident of Lubowa in Wakiso district, Prof Katunguka is also the Vice Chancellor of Kyambogo University where he has spearheaded several game-changing reforms, having secured a lot of support, good will and backing from both Museveni and his wife Janet who is the Minister of Education. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
