By Mulengera Reporters
As he always does, the President this week wrote to the Speaker of Parliament introducing a list of 32 Judiciary nominees to be vetted and approved by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
These included Justice Flavian Zeija (DCJ), Justice Muzamil Kibeedi (for Supreme Court), 8 Justices for Court of Appeal and another 22 (including Faridah Bukirwa) for the position of Ag High Court Justices.
The same letter was copied to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) which currently is being ran by Dr. Rose Nassali Lukwago, their Secretary/Permanent Secretary.
She is calling shots there because the JSC remains largely vacant because the Chairman, the Vice and four other Commissioners had their respective terms come to an end on 21st January, following expiry of their tenure.
The office of the Speaker has always kept this information very well and confidentially; only strictly communicating to the nominees concerned to prepare for their vetting appearance sessions before the Committee of Parliament days later.
So, when the letter somehow leaked, an accusing finger was pointed at the leaderless JSC one of whose insiders must have tipped media outlets namely Nile Post, Daily Monitor and New Vision. The trio were the first ones to have the story.
The reporters at the two dailies rang the JSC Communications Manager Mary Theresa Nabulya who went ahead to confirm the news on record. This prompted the two dailies to splash the news in their Friday editions.
The leaked story caused disruption and discomforted people in some high places, which is why the leadership at the JSC felt too much pressure to the extent that the same Nabulya (late Friday afternoon) had to issue a rushed media release unsuccessfully attempting to walk back and retract what she was quoted in the dailies to have confirmed the previous day.
As we now know, the retraction of the story (which caused some of the affected nominees to collapse and be rushed to hospital for stabilisation Friday evening) was ill-advised because it only amplified chaos and made the situation even more complicated for people in government, the public, the nominees and their loved ones who had spent the whole day celebrating the good news.
Having realised the extent to which the ensuing chaos would depict government in bad light, Gen Museveni’s PR handlers at State House promptly weighed in, and on good time, by issuing their own media statement corroborating on and confirming what the two dailies had reported.
Naturally, all melee this left Dr. Nassali and her protege Theresa Nabulya with an egg on their face. The duo has now become more disposable and susceptible to losing their jobs than ever before.
As all the chaos played out, individual nominees continued getting contacted to prepare to show up at Parliament on Monday to interface with the Speaker-chaired Appointments Committee of Parliament to process their approval so as to prepare them for their swearing-in ceremony at State House, whereafter they will assume office and begin serving the people. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
