Speaker, Chief Justice to work together but keep in their lanes

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo on Thursday vowed to work together as the heads of arms of government –Legislature and Parliament--but while keeping in their respective lanes.
The duo made the commitment during the closure of the four-day annual judges’ conference in Kampala.

“…I want to make our commitment that we will always work together with the Judiciary and we make sure we keep in our lane as you keep your lane too,” Speaker Among said.

She added: “We shall not disorganize you in your workings. We also request that much as you want judicial accountability, also don’t disorganise any other institution that works peacefully.”
The government is made up of three arms, the Executive headed by the President, the Legislature headed by the Speaker, and the Judiciary headed by the Chief Justice.

Likewise, Chief Justice Dollo in his remarks, vowed to continue working closely with fellow heads of the other arms of government but maintaining the Judiciary’s independence.

“There are three arms of government, one with separate responsibilities; the executive, the legislature which my sister heads, and the Judiciary which by the Grace of God, I'm privileged to head. We shall have a better country if the three arms speak to one another without losing the independence which the constitution clearly states,” the Chief Justice said.

“We shall do a disservice to the country if the three arms of government fight useless wars or any war…we need to keep our lane. As long as the Judiciary is still under my charge, I will continue to relate with other arms of government while jealously defending the independence of the Judiciary and I will keep in my lane,” he added.

Their remarks come at a time when a section of lawyers are up in arms over what they call President Museveni’s interference in the independence of the Judiciary.

They accuse the country’s chief executive of writing to the Chief Justice, directing him to intervene in a matter that involved the then looming sale of the eight Muslim prime properties, including the land where the national mosque at Old Kampala sits and also the obsequious silence of their leaders at the Bar and the Bench.

This has seen a section of aggrieved lawyers rally their colleagues not to attend today’s new Law Year event at the High Court in Kampala as a way of protesting the judicial interference by the Executive arm.
Article 128 (2) of the 1995 Constitution states:  "No person or authority shall interfere with the courts or judicial officers in the exercise of their judicial functions."

In 2017, then Speaker of Parliament Ms Rebecca Kadaga referred to an order issued by then deputy Chief Justice Steven Kavuma as “stupid”, a scenario that put the two arms of government on a collusion path.

Justice Kavuma had in his orders, stopped Parliament or any other individual from inquiring into the Shs6b oil cash bonanza to several top government officials. In a stormy House session, Ms Kadaga with unflinching fists, indefinitely, suspended the House sittings amidst applause from the MPs who loudly condemned the interference in the independence of Parliament.
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