Appointments committee vets new Supreme Court Judges

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday vetted three new Judges of the Supreme Court appointed by President Yoweri Museveni. The Justices include; Elizabeth Musoke, Stephen Musota, and Christopher Madrama Izama.

Museveni also appointed Oscar John Kihika, who is also the Legal Director of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party as Judge to the Court of Appeal.

Their names were forwarded to Parliament’s Appointment Committee chaired by Speaker Anita Among. The committee sat and vetted the new justices, an exercise that took less than two hours at the Speaker’s boardroom.

However, moments after appearing before the committee, they declined to speak to the media about their vetting.

The appointment of Musoke, Musota, and Izama will increase the number of Supreme Court Judges to 13.

Justice Musoke started her legal career in 1980 in the Department/Directorate of Civil Affairs of the Solicitor General before she rose through the ranks to the position of Principal State Attorney.

Prior to her appointment, she was at the Court of Appeal/ Constitutional Court. She was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 2008, where she served for eight years. In 2015, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court. Previously, she was the Chief Legal Advisor to the Inspector General of Government – IGG. She has served as a member of the Judicial Integrity Committee (JIC).

Justice Stephen Musota started out as a Grade One Magistrate in 1984 and was promoted to Senior Principal Magistrate Grade One in 1992. He went on to work as Chief Magistrate, Deputy Registrar, and Registrar of the High Court.

In 2000, he was appointed the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, a position he held up to 2004 when he was appointed judge of the High Court. In 2018, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal. In 2015, he delivered judgment between Nasser Sebaggala, the former Kampala Mayor, and MTN Uganda over the ring-back caller tune.

Prior to his appointment, Justice Christopher Madrama Izamawas a Court of Appeal Justice. He started his legal career in 1990 as a State Attorney under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Later in 1999, he left and joined the Law Development Centre as a Senior Legal Officer.

Between 2001 and 2010, he served as a principal Legal Associate at Katende Ssempebwa & Co. Advocates. In 2010, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court. In 2018, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court.

We convened the Appointments Committee of @Parliament_Ug to vet the nominees to the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. As dictated by the rules, our report will be transmitted to the appointing Authority. pic.twitter.com/1pjDbVZ2NQ

— Anita Annet Among (@AnitahAmong) November 18, 2022

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