By Joshua Walakira
Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana has escalated his feuding with Justice Catherine Bamugemereire by appearing on CBS radio where celebrated interviewer Alex Nsubuga featured him on his “Nze ngabwendaba [the way I see it]” program. Rukutana, who was humiliatingly ejected from the Land Commission of Inquiry last Wednesday after disrespectfully addressing Bamugemereire the chairperson, told his interviewer that the Court of Appeal Judge “doesn’t know what she is doing.” Bragging to have been her lecturer at LDC, Rukutana told Nsubuga that Bamugemereire doesn’t understand her Terms of Reference (ToR) and provisions of the Commission of Inquiries Act which is why she is doing things that are outside what the law permits her to do. “She only knows about showing off because she wants to become famous and then do what with that fame, I don’t know. I taught her [Civil Proceedings & Art of Advocacy] at LDC and being a judge doesn’t mean anything. Is it not me who taught her at LDC? I’m telling you she doesn’t understand these things [of the law]. She wants to show off and get cheap popularity. She expected to subdue me and abuse me like other people who appeared before her and I refused that. What she is doing isn’t conducting an inquiry but just making a name while destroying others. There is the Commission of Inquiries Act and the Terms of Reference. Her mandate is to inquire into things and report to the appointing authority. She doesn’t have authority to abuse people and give directives that contradict court decisions. She doesn’t have authority to detain people and I was ready to tell her all that but when they realized my intentions, they ordered me out.” Asked why he hadn’t asserted himself as AG by publicly giving a legal opinion denouncing Bamugemereire for exceeding her mandate only to speak now after facing her wrath, Rukutana said: “I gave it [legal opinion] to the president long time ago but nothing was done and I gave up. I wanted them to stick to the law and terms of reference which hasn’t been happening. I wanted them to be restrained not to abuse people, alter court decisions and not to treat people as if they are guilty already yet theirs is to investigate.” The interviewer repeatedly reminded him “but this is a judge” and Rukutana would emphatically say: “She doesn’t understand these things; she doesn’t know what she is doing at all but she is only after playing to the gallery so that people can see her and get to know her. I don’t know what she wants to this fame for.” Nsubuga put it to him “but you too acted arrogantly yet you are the Attorney General.” Indifferent as ever, Rukutana answered: “It depends on how you treat me. I’m a whole minister who has been in this government for over 20 years. She wanted to show people that I’m ignorant but for me the way you treat me is the way I fight back just like I told the Commission. I only respect those who respect me.” Rukutana, whose defiant stand has since emboldened many cabinet colleagues who have appeared before and those expecting to be summoned to the same inquiry someday, explained why he thinks the Shs34bn compensation to Kasasa was justified and in order. “She [Bamugemereire] is lying people because the truth is government entered a sale agreement in 2002 and the owner had to be paid within 60 days. Any delay would attract interest at the commercial rate of between 19% and 23%. Government defaulted on payment for 17 years and that is from 2002 to 2019. That is how it comes to Shs34bn which Ministry of Finance negotiated downwards. If you calculate interest at that rate per annum that is what it becomes in 17 years. They are talking like fools. How can it be that we bought air when the very day she went to the land, the military chased her? Isn’t that proof that we have possession of the land? We have the land titles except that we made part payment. They say we bought air because some of those people are empty-headed,” said Rukutana stressing that the only High Court-like powers Bamugemereire has is to summon people and ask them questions. “I’m the one with the laws and she knows that I know the law very well.” For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
