Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has been cautioned by the Common Wealth Lawyers’ Association to consider the implications of removing Justice Esther Kisaakye from the country’s Supreme Court Bench.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the umbrella association of legal professionals within the Common Wealth said it was “gravely concerned” about a recommendation by the Uganda Judicial Service Commission – the watchdog for Judicial officers in the East African Country, to have the embattled Judge removed from the top Court on grounds of misconduct.
Justice Esther Kisaakye’s troubles apparently started in 2021 during the Supreme Court’s hearing of a Case lodged by Opposition Politician Robert Kyagulanyi challenging the results of Uganda’s General Election of that year.
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As the Court decided to throw out an Application by Mr. Kyagulanyi seeking additional time to file more evidence of his rigging claims, Justice Esther Kisaakye disagreed with her colleagues ruling the Politician indeed deserved the additional time as his evidence gathering had been affected by his house arrest in the aftermath of the Vote.
While delivering the ruling – alone in a dark Courtroom without her colleagues on the Supreme Court panel, Justice Kisaakye accused the Chief Justice of Uganda and Head of the Supreme Court Justice Owiny-Dollo of trying to prevent her from delivering the dissent, an act she termed as “barbaric.”
Since then Ugandans have been treated to more drama including a Suit in the Country’s Constitutional Court against the Chief Justice and other top officials in the Judiciary.
The call by the Common Wealth Lawyers’ Association comes days after the International Bar Association voiced opposition against reprimanding the lady Justice for her actions.
Both groups cite procedural impropriety in the Judicial Service Commission’s recommendation to President Yoweri Museveni to institute a tribunal to consider Justice Esther Kisaakye’s removal from the Supreme Court of Uganda.
Benjamin is a Digital Legal News Journalist (trained by Reuters) and digital media enthusiast who founded The Legal Reports website in January, 2020 while a fourth year law student at Makerere University school of law.
Prior to that, Benjamin used to write amateur blogs and some of his legal commentaries were published by the Daily Monitor and Independent Magazine - both leading publications in Uganda. He covers lawyers, law students, judges, judiciary, courts, law schools, and law firms.