Expelled MPs now abandon court case

Expelled NRM legislators: (L-R) Barnabas Tinkasiimire, Theodore Ssekikubo and Winfred Niwagaba addressing journalists in Parliament yesterday. PHOTO BY GEOFFREY SSERUYANGE

What you need to know:

Claim. Legislators accuse judges of dancing to “Museveni’s tunes”.

MPs who were recently expelled from the ruling party have announced that they will no longer recognise proceedings at the Constitutional Court, whose judges they accuse of bias.
Addressing journalists at Parliament yesterday, three of the four legislators, who were dragged to court by sympathisers of the NRM party who want them ejected from the House, said the judges listening to their case were “NRM promoters”.

“We have made a decision not to go back to a court with NRM mobilisers masquerading as judges,” Mr Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga) said. “Justice Kavuma and other biased judges even fear to look you in the eye; but these judges should be forgiven because they are being used as Museveni’s walking sticks.”

Justice Steven Kavuma, who is the acting Chief Justice, also heads the Constitutional Court.
Yesterday’s press conference, which came after the MPs walked out of court on Wednesday, was also addressed by Mr Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga) and Mr Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East). Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko, who was also expelled from the NRM over charges of indiscipline and insubordination, did not attend the press conference.

“I have never seen a Constitutional Court behaving like a court martial, what morality do these people have?” asked Mr Tinkasiimire, who added that Justice Kavuma is listed as No. 163 among the people who signed documents to register the NRM party.

Also attacked by the MPs was Justice Augustine Nshimye, who reportedly signed the registration documents as No. 140. Both men were politicians before moving to the Judiciary. Mr Tinkasiimire said: “They denied us our right to be heard and they are now asking us not to worry because we will appeal the decision after the ruling as if they already have pre-determined outcome.”

‘Kangaroo court’
Explaining why they walked out of court, the MPs said they could not be part of a “biased tribunal behaving like a kangaroo court dancing to the tunes of President Museveni”.

Mr Ssekikubo said they stormed out of the court because they could not run from a dictatorship only to go into another. “Justice (Richard) Buteera let the cat out of the bag when he told us not to mind about Museveni being cross-examined because we are going to have a chance to appeal to the Supreme Court after the judgment. That means that our case is already predetermined,” he added.

On Wednesday, Justice Buteera blocked the MPs from proceeding to the Supreme Court in pursuit of cross-examining Mr Museveni on his affidavits. But even as the politicians indicated withdraw of trust in the court, their lawyers remained in court yesterday arguing their case.

One of them, Mr Caleb Alaka, said they would continue representing their clients even when the MPs will keep away from the court. Yesterday, Mr Erias Kisawuzi, the Judiciary spokesman, advised the MPs to apply to the judges to disqualify themselves from the case. Mr Ssekikubo also indicated that they would petition the Judicial Service Commission over the behaviour of the judges and said whatever the outcome of the case, they would also move to the Supreme Court.

Inflated ego
Asked to weigh in, Presidency Minister Frank Tumwebaze said: “Our friends are suffering from an extremely inflated ego to an extent that they believe that they can blackmail everybody to cover up their own weaknesses.” He added: “When they lose on any matter, it means the judges have been compromised. When they win, that means the judges are independent. That is cheap politicking and dishonesty of the highest order.”