The President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is currently facing growing criticism as per his remarks about Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the jurisdiction of the General Court Martial (GCM).
Ugandans were overjoyed with the fact that the Supreme court was in favor of civilians not facing trial in the General Court Martial but rather their cases be handled by the various civilian courts.
This gave hope to many regarding the case of former opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye as many thought he could have had a chance at a fair trail had he been paraded in a civilian court rather than the harsh and ruthless General Court Martial.
However, the President came out and trashed all these Hope's as he stated that the General Court Martial also had every right to preside over cases where it was seemed fit for instance in cases of terrorism and armed rebellions. He even went on to term the chief Justice as a foreign oriented judge, something that did not sit well with many Ugandans.
The public also seems dissatisfied with the words of the president as many have come out to mention that the President himself is undermining the judicial system as well as human rights protection yet they believe the judiciary should be an independent body which even the President respects.
Among the people that are most angered by the President's decision is Butambala District Woman MP Namugga Gorreth, who has openly refused to sit on her thoughts. The woman MP has therefore come out and questioned President Museveni’s labeling of certain judges as foreign-oriented.
In her rather bold response, Gorreth Namugga has challenged this kind of claim by asking who exactly a foreign judge is. She further questioned whether the president himself should be called a foreign president.
"Who is a foreign-oriented judge? Should we also call Museveni a foreign-oriented President? " she questioned
Namugga has also further emphasized that Uganda belongs to all its citizens and that the Supreme Court’s decision must be respected by everyone, including the President himself because the judiciary should be an independent body, not influenced by the President. According to her, the judiciary should be for the people and not for the ruling party.
Critics on the internet have aired their voices, saying that the President is so wrong for targeting the Chief Justice and his colleagues for simply doing their job. They have stated that the acts of the president can easily be considered as an assault on democracy as well as the rule of law.
The question is, will this criticism make the President change his mind over the ruling made by the Supreme court? What is your take on this?
