Uganda Law Society (ULS) has asked the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo and Supreme Court Judge Esther Kisakye to stop using the media as a way of solving their misunderstanding in the judiciary.
Phiona Nabasa Wall, the president of the ULS told journalists on Monday that the more the two judges continue to use media the more the public is losing trust in the country’s temple of justice.
Last Thursday during the ruling in the withdrawal of an election petition which had been filed by Robert Kyagulanyi, the Supreme court judge, Kisakye clashed with CJ Owiny-Dollo where the former accused the latter of confiscating her file containing her dissenting judgement in the case.
She added that the Chief Justice had refused her to read the ruling alluding that other members of the panel had to the first debate on it.
“I informed the court that I will be delivering my consolidated rulings on the four applications. My colleagues have opted not to attend this afternoon session,” Justice Kisakye said, adding that she was surprised that her colleagues opted to shun the afternoon session.
“That my ruling would be read at a later date…Probably after he and the other members had finished debating about it. I found that order unconstitutional and I chose to disobey it. I felt it is my constitutional duty to disobey the unlawful orders of the chief justice and fulfil my duty as a member of this quorum to deliver my decision within the 45 days under Article 104,” told journalists on Thursday.
However, on Friday the judiciary published a documenting refuting all the claims by the lady justice. “We wish to state that at no time did the Chief Justice even try to gag Lady Justice Kisakye, vet her ruling or confiscate her file as she is reported to have claimed. It is well known that the Supreme Court Justices respect each other’s independence,” read the document signed by Judiciary Spokesperson Solomon Muyita.
Now ULS has asked the two top judges to find other ways of solving their misunderstandings other than using the media.
“Judiciary is a strong arm of government and we don’t want what happened last week to tarnish every good deed it has done in this country, every institution has disagreements but taking issues in media is not a good step,” said Ms Nabasa.
As a way of solving the wrangle between the CJ and lady justice Kisakye, the society has also formed a committee of senior counsels who are going to mediate the talks to see that they iron out their issues.
The Committee has past presidents of the society, past attorney generals and some eminent members of the society.
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