{UAH} Lord Mayor Lukwago Chocking on Laughter as Sevo, Jennifer Run into their own Justice Bamugemereire’ Trap

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Category: Politics News

Published on 05 November 2013

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Lord Mayor Lukwago Chocking on Laughter as Sevo, Jennifer Run into their own Justice Bamugemereire’ Trap

By Stephen K Muwambi

Ugandans and Kampalans in particular have been kept waiting for several months for the Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire’s ruling in the petition seeking to impeach Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.

Given a two months deadline to hear and deliver its verdict, Bamugemereire’s tribunal has since received two extensions from the Minister in charge of the Presidency and Kampala Frank Tumwebaze, but still cannot wind up its work.

We understand that Bamugemereire has come under a lot of pressure from both Sevo and Lukwago’s camp to deliver in each’s favor.

It’s that pressure, inside sources tell us, that has prompted the Lady Judge to keep her ruling under wraps as she studies the mood and the likely political and legal fireworks her final verdict would generate.

Whereas news has leaked indicating that Bamugemereire has already ‘succumbed to government pressure’ and found Lukwago impeachable, still the good judge has not found the courage to make her such ruling public, if at all it exists.

That Bamugemereire has not denied or accepted having made up her mind already, has left the impression that she has ‘sorted out’ Lukwago already, (in Sevo’s speak.)

Background

As Bamugemereire was hearing Lukwago’s petition, Frank Tumwebaze was at the same time working behind the Lady Justice’s back to come up with an amendment to the KCCA Act with a view to render Lukwago a political lame duck.

Tumwebaze’s loss of confidence in his own instigated Tribunal would be under stable for a man in his position, but scandalous. High Court’s Justice Vincent Zehuriikirize rendered Bamugemereire’s work inconsequential.

This is when the good justice allowed his learned sister to go ahead and investigate Lukwago, but again held that even if she found him ‘guilty,’ the KCCA council would have no powers to fire him for quorum reasons.

Smelling a technical triumph for Lukwago, Tumwebaze whispered into ears of the Electoral commission boss Dr. Badru Kiggundu, pleading with the polls umpire to organize elections for the missing professional councilors, including lawyers and engineers so as to make the KCCA required quorum.

Lukwago has since huffed and puffed, swearing that he would move to court if Kiggundu short-changed Justice Zehuriikirize’s foregoing ruling.

The law appears to be on Lukwago’s side. With no appeal lodged against Zehuriikirize’s ruling, the decision remains in force. That’s the sour truth.

So, for Kiggundu to organize elections for missing councilors in a bid to make the numbers with a view  to censor Lukwago, would tantamount to overthrowing the court’s binding decision both on the tribunal, all persons, including those in authority and all government agencies.

And as Lukwago has already indicated, he would not waste time moving to court to ‘embarrass Bamugemereire, Dr. Kiggundu and Tumwebaze if the tribunal rules contrary to Zehuriikirize are holding.

Though the Lukwago tribunal is headed by a judge, it should be pointed out that it lacks the powers of the High Court and so cannot rule against Zehukirize’s ruling which he delivered as a sitting a judge.

The above being the case, it can be argued, that Bamugemereire is moving cautiously lest she runs counter to Zehuriikirize’s ruling and soil her judicial reputation.

But the mother of all roadblocks in the way of principals fighting to depose Lukwago is the constitution holding that all powers belongs to the people, which people exercised such power by electing their mayor.

To depose Lukwago and let an appointed government executive director run Kampala, would amount to disfranchising Kampalans--removing from them the powers to elect their mayor and that would run  counter to the mighty law of the land ( read the Constitution).

It’s for such reasons that the people seeking to upset Lukwago are progressively moving towards their own set trap in our well-considered view.

It’s also why Justice Bamugemereire has turned into a pawn in their political chess board. We rest our case and open the floor for discussions.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower