Museveni appoints NRM legal boss Court of Appeal judge
Combo (L-R): Justices Christopher Madrama Izama, Eizabeth Musoke and Stephen Musota. PHOTOS/ FILE
What you need to know:
- Accordingly, the names of the appointees have been forwarded to the Speaker of Parliament for vetting
President Museveni has appointed Justices Christopher Madrama Izama, Stephen Musota and Elizabeth Musoke to the Supreme Court, his press team have said.
The Supreme Court is currently staffed with 10 justices, with a quorum of seven needed to determine constitutional appeals. The appointment of the three means the bench will now have 13 justices.
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In the Tuesday morning statement, the presidential press team said Mr Museveni had also appointed his lawyer John Oscar Kihika as Court of Appeal judge.
NRM party legal director Oscar John Kihika
Kihika who has represented President Museveni in several electoral petitions is a legal director at the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and a senior partner at Byenkya, Kihika & Co Advocates, a private law firm.
“In the exercise of the powers vested in the president by Article 142 (1) of the 1995 constitution, I have, acting on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, appointed persons listed as Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, respectively,” Mr Museveni said in the statement dated October 31 released on Tuesday morning.
Accordingly, the names of the appointees have been forwarded to the Speaker of Parliament for vetting.
Who are the newly appointed Supreme, Court of Appeal Justices?
Justice Christopher Izama Madrama (Supreme Court Justice designate)
Prior to his appointment, Justice Madrama was a Court of Appeal Justice. His legal career started as a state attorney in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in 1990. He served in this position up to 1999 when he was promoted to principal state attorney. Later that year, he left and joined the Law Development Centre as a senior legal officer. Between 2001 and 2010, he was a principal legal associate at Katende Ssempebwa and Co. Advocates. In 2010, he was appointed a judge of the High Court. In 2018, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court.
Previously, he worked as a research assistant with the Commission of Inquiry into the Judiciary 1994-1995. He has also authored several publications, including The Problem HIV/Aids: A Discourse on Laws and Marriage and the Subordinate Status of Women in Uganda. He is a member of the Judiciary Law Reform Committee.
Justice Stephen Musota (Supreme Court)
He is a career judicial officer, who has served for 38 years in the Judiciary. He holds a Bachelor’s of Laws Degree from Makerere University (1982) and a postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre (1983). He has undertaken several tailor-made courses and trainings relevant to the execution and enhancement of performance as a judicial officer at all levels. He started out as a Grade One Magistrate in 1984, and was promoted to senior principal Magistrate Grade One in 1992. He went on to work as chief magistrate, deputy registrar and registrar of the High Court.
In 2000, he was appointed the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, a position he held up to 2004 when he was appointed judge of the High Court. In 2018, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal.
His major areas of interest in law and practice are civil law and practice.
Some of the big judgments that Justice Madrama has handled include the ring back caller tune filed by former Kampala Mayor Nasser Sebaggala against telecommunication against MTN Uganda.
Delivering his judgment in March 2015 while still a judge at the Commercial Court, Justice Madrama held that Sebaggala was not the author of the work and, therefore, did not enjoy protection under copyright law and that he did not agree to performance rights and so could not be classified as a performer.
Justice Elizabeth Musoke (Supreme Court)
Prior to her appointment, Justice Musoke was at the Court of Appeal/ Constitutional Court
She was appointed a judge of the High Court in 2008, where she served for eight years. In 2015, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court.
Justice Musoke started her legal career in 1980 in the Department/Directorate of Civil Affairs of the Solicitor General as a junior state attorney, where she rose through the ranks to the position of principal state attorney.
Previously, she was the chief legal advisor to the Inspector General of Government. She has served as a member of the Judicial Integrity Committee (JIC). Justice Musoke co-authored the draft abridged version of the East African Treaty.
She is one of the five justices who heard the famous age limit petition in Mbale that okayed the scrapping of the presidential age limit clauses from the Constitution.
Mr Oscar Kihika (Court of Appeal/ Constitutional Court)
Mr Kihika is a former president of the Uganda Law Society – a post he held for two consecutive terms. His practice as an advocate spans over a wealthy and diverse 25 years’ experience.
Mr Kihika is currently the director of legal affairs at the ruling NRM party secretariat. He is a founder and senior partner at Byenkya, Kihika & Co Advocates. He has extensive experience as a commercial litigator handling dispute resolution, litigation, product liability, mergers, acquisitions, and joint venture transactions.
Previously, he worked as a state attorney at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. He holds a Bachelor’s of Laws Degree from Makerere University and a postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre.
