Odoki’s judgment for Monday

The Constitutional Court in Kampala has adjourned the judgment of a case on whether President Museveni was right to reappoint retired Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki.

According to justice Remmy Kasule, the lead judge in the case, the judgment was pushed to Monday (August 4) because some of the judges on the panel are out of the country. The judgment had been fixed for Monday (July 28) but since it was Eid, it was not possible and according to judicial practice, in such a case, judgment has to be delivered on the following working day which was also not possible.

The case arose last year when President Museveni on July 9, 2013 wrote to chairman of the Judicial Service Commission Justice James Ogoola, directing that Mr Odoki be given a two-year contract in order to “maximise the services of our human resource”.

However, the reappointment of the retired Chief Justice was challenged in court by Western Youth MP Gerald Karuhanga on grounds that it was unconstitutional because he had clocked the mandatory constitutional retirement age of 70.

This petition was heard one sided on June 16 as MP Karuhanga and his lawyers walked out of court protesting the composition of the panel which they accused of likely bias.

Mr Karuhanga and his lawyers Prof Kanyeihamba and Mr Emmanuel Orono said they will attend the reading of the judgment.

Acting position
The country has not had a substantive Chief Justice since Justice Odoki’s retirement in March last year and the ensuing contestation against his reappointment. Justice Steven Kavuma of the Court of Appeal has been acting in that position.