Lawyers Ssempebwa, Jjuuko drag AG to Court over Electoral Reforms

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Professors Frederick Ssempbebwa, Fredrick W. Jjuuko and Charles Cha Katiba have taken the Attorney General William Byaruhanga to court for failing to implement electoral reforms as ordered by the Supreme Court in the 2016 Presidential election petition judgement.

Through their lawyers Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, Tusasirwe and Company Advocates and Kirunda Wasige Advocates, the lawyers demand that the Attorney General be liable held for contempt of court for failing to implement the orders. The application is yet to be fixed for hearing by the Supreme Court.

At that election, Amama Mbabazi an Independent Candidatepetitioned the Supreme Court challenging the victory of the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni.

Justices of the Supreme Court Justices led by the Chief Justice Bart Katureebe made orders on electoral reforms to be implemented. The court set a two-year time frame in which the Attorney General was to report to the court the measures taken to implement the orders.

The orders included implementation of electoral reforms,  reviewing the time for holding fresh elections in case a presidential election is nullified, the use of technology, nature of evidence, unequal use of state-owned media house, the late enactment of relevant legislation, involvement of public officers in political campaigns among others.

According to the orders, the Attorney General was meant to report to the same court after two years on the progress but has since failed to do so despite having amended the Constitution to remove term limits.

Now Professors Frederick Ssembebwa, Fredrick W. Jjuko and Charles Cha Katiba through their lawyers including Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, Tusasirwe and Company Advocates and Kirunda Wasige Advocates demand that the Attorney General be liable held for contempt of court for failing to implement the orders.

The applicants through their lawyers say that the Attorney General together with institutions such as Parliament and the Executive have since failed to implement the said recommendations after the two-year ultimatum elapsed.

“ A declaration that as an advocate who has failed to implement the decision of this honourable court the sitting Attorney General is not fit to occupy the office of the Attorney General”,  the application reads in part.

It also adds that “appropriate measures be put in place to compel the respondent to comply with implementation of the said orders, including an order that the executive shall not present any other legislative business until the orders aforesaid have been complied with”.

In 2016 Mbabazi lost the Presidential elections after becoming the third in the race of eight candidates. He obtained 1.4 percentage votes.