The Parliament of Uganda has been given a go ahead to re-open its restaurant and bar.
The permission was granted by High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe Ssali on Tuesday after dismissing an application by Hellenar’s Restaurant, the firm that had operated the Parliament Restaurant and Bar for the last three years, to restrain and prohibit the Parliamentary Commission from hiring out a new service provider.
The restaurant has been closed since the beginning of this year.
In her ruling, Justice Mugambe said Hellenar’s Restaurant is not the only company that can provide the required services to Parliament.
“The restaurant has fallen out of favour with Parliament and therefore, cannot continue its operations,” she said.
The judge further stated that Hellenar’s Restaurant failed to prove a prima facie case because “Currently, there is no subsisting contract between Hellenar’s restaurant and Parliament.
“The Parliamentary Commission was even lenient to extend the contract of the applicant (Hellenar’s restaurant),” said Mugambe.
Hellenar’s trouble started after Parliament’s evaluation committee chaired by Sergeant-at-Arms Ahmed Kagoye, dumped it and awarded the deal to a new company called Romeo’s Restaurant and Bar Ltd with effect from 1 January 2019.
The restaurant applied for a temporary injunction to restrain and prohibit the Parliamentary Commission from altering or causing the alteration in the status-quo with regard to the operation of the facility. However, the Clerk of Parliament instead ordered for the closure of the restaurant until the court matter is sorted.
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