Lawyers offer to mediate in judges rift
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo (left) and Supreme Court Judge Esther Kisakye. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The lawyers say such conflicts among justices should not be allowed to get to the public domain.
Lawyers under their umbrella body, the Uganda Law Society (ULS), have offered to mediate in the ongoing rift among the Supreme Court justices in the just concluded election petition that had been filed by Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
Led by their president, Ms Pheona Wall Nabasa, the lawyers say they are concerned about last Thursday’s incident at the highest court in the land when Justice Esther Kisakye, in full view of the cameras, accused Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo of confiscating her file containing her dissenting ruling.
“Although there are several versions of what transpired at the Supreme Court, ULS as an institution mandated, among others, to advise government and the public on matters of law, good governance and administration of justice in the country, is deeply disturbed by the public show of disharmony, which has caused and continues to cause disrespect and ridicule to the highest appellate court in the land,” Ms Nabasa said in a statement issued yesterday.
Steps taken
To that effect, ULS has appointed a team of senior lawyers to engage with the members of the Supreme Court. ULS has also asked the Judiciary to disperse justice with utmost professionalism.
The lawyers have also asked the justices to always accommodate dissenting opinions of their colleagues and also to always explore internal mechanisms to amicably resolve any disputes among themselves.
“We accordingly implore justices of the appellate court to foster consensus and where there isn’t then, dissenting opinions be accommodated and treated respectively,” the ULS statement added.
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