Judiciary is handling Chief Justice Dollo, Kisakye issues -PS Bigirimana assures MPs

The Permanent Secretary of the Judiciary Pius Birgirimana has told Members of Parliament on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs that a committee was set to investigate infights between the Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny-Dollo and Justice Esther Kisakye.

Bigirimana made the revelation on Tuesday while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to respond to queries over the Judiciary’s ministerial policy statement which they had presented earlier.

The Committee Chairperson Jacob Oboth asked Bigirimana whether the judiciary has any mechanisms of handling conflicts within the judiciary. He said fights by some members of the Supreme Court has tainted the image of the country’s temple of justice.

Birgirimana in response told the committee that they have set a disciplinary committee comprising of high-ranking officials in the Judiciary and Judicial Service Commission to see that the two leaders (Owiny-Dollo and Kisakye) iron out their differences.

“We believe that these two committees will professionally handle the matter.”

It should be remembered that during the ruling of the withdrawal of the 2021 presidential election petition by former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulnyi challenging president Yoweri Museveni’s victory, Lady Justice Kisakye accused the team led by the Owiny-Dollo of confiscating her minority ruling that she was due to present.

This follows the break off which was called by Justice Owiny-Dollo and reconvene at 1:30 pm without giving any reason. This was followed by a series of events including one in which, a judicial official came and ordered the team from PhotoGenix Company, which was contracted to erect a tent and provide quality sound to the court, to disconnect their equipment as Justice Kisakye was addressing journalists.

Justice Kisakye informed journalists that her file had been grabbed from her and confiscated on the orders of Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo for unknown reasons.