By Mulengera Reporters
Having assumed lots of power and sense of self-importance, former Speaker Anita Among characteristically tried to influence the choice of who becomes Uganda’s Deputy Chief Justice, replacing Flavian Zeija who was elevated to the position of Chief Justice. She was unsuccessful.
The lucrative position, whose occupant gets to head Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court, eventually was given to Justice Moses Kazibwe, who had to overcome an Anita Among-backed contender. Kazibwe, in his 50s, got the job partly because he is the one Zeija, who naturally was consulted, preferred.
Zeija felt that, unlike longer-serving Court of Appeal Justices who envied the fact that he became their boss as DCJ and later on CJ within 10 years of joining the bench and were out to make his life hard as head of Judiciary, Kazibwe (an age mate who joined the bench at the same time with him in 2016) would be easier to manage, align and do business with.
Kazibwe also had the backing of AG Kiwanuka Kiryowa, an influential member of the Judicial Service Commission, who for long has been advocating for a diverse and ethnic-balanced leadership at the bench. Kazibwe also had good credentials including being hard working, calm, well collected and incorruptible.
Even when he was initially urged to apply and show interest at the time he hadn’t been thinking about it, Kazibwe didn’t get the DCJ job on a silver platter. He had to compete with and overcome several others who included Mike Chibita, Catherine Bamugemereire, Musa Sekaana and outgoing Budama MP Fox Odoi who in the past headed the legal department at Gen Museveni’s State House.
Credible sources have revealed that one of these above referenced applicants for the DCJ post had the active backing of Anita Among who unsuccessfully pulled all the stops to have her favorite person carry the day. One of these applicants overtly declined Anita Among’s support (with a polite no thank you) after State House insiders had reached out and cautioned him/her on the need to keep away from the Bukedea Woman MP because she clearly had already fallen out of favor of key influencers in the Museveni universe. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
