When he dragged President Yoweri Museveni to court over the age limit Constitutional amendment in 2017, Hassan Male Mabirizi was seen as a legal Messiah by a section of Ugandans especially those who opposed move that would scrap the age limit cap for presidential candidates. He was showered with praise and calls to reward the financially incapacitated young lawyer with a car after he carried luggage of Law books on his head to Court.
This time however, his reputation in Uganda and East Africa at large will most likely suffer for worse after an attempt against Museveni at a time even eternal critics like Col Kizza Besigye and Bobi Wine would rather keep quiet than oppose him on Coronavirus for fear of public misconception.
“Ugandan takes govt to EACJ, says lockdown against the law” Reports the east African news paper as the young advocate gets set to fight a completely individual legal war as Uganda’s are United behind their leader against COVID 19.
Mabirizi argues that the curfew and lockdown ordered by President Yoweri Museveni to contain the spread of the coronavirus, are unconstitutional.
He has taken the government to the East African Court of Justice, arguing that the measures not only violate Uganda’s constitution but also contravene the East African Community Treaty.
According to Mr Mabirizi, several actions, directives, and decisions of “President Museveni, his Prime Minister, Health minister, Uganda People’s Defence Forces, Uganda Police Force, parliament, the Chief Justice and the Judiciary from March 18 do not conform with the prescription of the constitution of Uganda.”
“They made mere speech-orders broadcast on all TV and radio stations in Uganda purportedly to curb the spread of the Coronavirus without complying with the procedures of declaring a State of Emergency or duly made statutory instruments/orders in line with Uganda Public Health Act, chapter 281 but ordered that they be enforced against the people of Uganda,” says Mr Mabirizi in his application.
He terms the actions unlawful, adding that they are an infringement of the provisions of The Treaty for Establishment of the East African Community as well as the establishment of the Common Market Protocol.”
Mabirizi therefore seeks court to order the lifting of the lock down where he argues that the closure of education institutions, ban on public transportation, closure of public worship and closure of border points of entry all be lifted. And that the East African Court of Justice awards him costs.
To the majority of Ugandans whose interest is not in the complexities of the law but rather saving their dear lives, Mabirizi’s outrageous demands would undoubtedly alienate him from them especially at a time when the same measures he is seeking to challenge have yielded unmatched success.
With no new cases reported for nearly the last 5 consecutive days,even when the scourge continues to ravage the world’s strongest economies with a daily death toll in the US topping a record high of 2000 by the close of yesterday Saturday 11, Museveni’s has deservedly set himself apart in his efforts at combating the spread of the dreaded contagious disease.
Last week, Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze,one of Museveni’s critics turned to God in an unexpected manner to seek divine intervention on behalf of the president for assistance, favor and guidance as he leads the country out of the current predicament.
On social media, known government critics have finally given up on opposing the president at least for this period after all even their audiences are not prepared for negativity. Former Presidential candidate col Kizza Besigye has kept the fight on but only on contributory criticism where he has logically concentrated on what ought to be done better,with his propositions on relief for the people whose livelihood has been affected by the lockdown and community outreach programs to evacuate the suspected cases to treatment centered so far effectively adopted for the better in the fight against the pandemic.
On Saturday 11 April, the ministry of health sent 3 of the 53 confirmed cases of the disease back home after confirmation that they had fully recovered from the ailment. It was also confirmed at an additional 15 would be discharged in the coming days after preliminary results showed they had also recovered. This will be the highest recovery rate in the great lakes region despite the country having a considerably less prevalence.
The milestone will with no doubt dictate that whoever intends to attack Museveni at the moment had to better think twice. No wonder Mabirizi’s attempts this time has been treated with all the contempt it deserves from the public.
“But this guy Mabirizi should really get a job. His nonsense is beginning to annoy some of us,” was a comment by Canada based Ugandan blogger Martha Leah Nangalama, also a perennial Museveni critic.
Never at any one time in the Country’s recent past has the population been United for a single cause as it is now. Reasoning along political, religious, ethnic lines has vanished as the pandemic takes over as a unifying fact for the desperate people.
Surprisingly, almost similar measures have been taken in all the East African countries in a desperate move to get rid of the virus that has so far hit Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania hard. Rwanda announced the full lockdown two weeks a go and Kenya banned public movement out of Nairobi last week, with borders closed for all the East African states.
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