By Sekaggya Seka Moses
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, leader of the National Unity Platform, has responded to Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo’s recent remarks regarding the judiciary’s handling of Kyagulanyi’s 2021 presidential campaign.
Owiny-Dollo had claimed that the judiciary helped Kyagulanyi complete his campaign in Iganga by granting him bail when he was arrested.
However, Kyagulanyi countered that the judiciary, under Owiny-Dollo’s leadership, is complicit in the political persecution and eventual death of Hon.Muhammad Ssegirinya, who died after being denied bail despite his deteriorating health while in prison.
Kyagulanyi questioned why Owiny-Dollo responded to his comments but has maintained silence on the trial of civilians in military tribunals, which has been a longstanding concern.
Kyagulanyi cited several instances where the judiciary, under Owiny-Dollo’s leadership, has allegedly failed to uphold justice.
He mentioned the case of Kakwenza, who was remanded to prison instead of receiving medical treatment for his festering wounds following his abduction and torture for criticizing the NRM regime.
He also referred to the case of Edward Awebwa, who was sentenced to six years in jail for criticizing President Museveni on TikTok.
In contrast, Kyagulanyi noted that healthy NRM legislators and ministers were released on bail within days of their arrest for stealing relief items from vulnerable citizens in Karamoja.
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Furthermore, Kyagulanyi accused Owiny-Dollo of abusing his position to deny justice to the people of Uganda, particularly in the petition challenging President Museveni’s 2021 election victory.
Kyagulanyi emphasized that the judiciary has become “numb, unwilling, or incapable” of dispensing justice without fear or favor, especially in cases involving the regime.
Kyagulanyi pointed out that the judiciary’s denial of bail to Hon. Ssegirinya was a clear example of this bias.
He stated that the judiciary could not muster the courage to grant Ssegirinya bail, despite his deteriorating health, because President Museveni had expressly forbidden it.
“You boast that the judiciary you lead ‘saved me’ when it granted me bail, and we resumed our presidential campaigns, but that cannot be further from reality,” Kyagulanyi said.
“The reality is that the massive pressure that Ugandans across the country put on the regime after our arrest left it with no choice but to reluctantly let the courts free us just like the case was in 2018.”
Kyagulanyi also expressed frustration with the judiciary’s inconsistent application of justice, stating,
“Ugandans are tired of a judiciary that works like a dead clock: only correct twice a day. They are demanding a judiciary that is consistent and impartial in its dispensation of justice and interpretation of the law no matter what suspect appears before it and what they are accused of!”
Kyagulanyi concluded by calling for a judiciary that is consistent and impartial in its dispensation of justice.
He urged Owiny-Dollo to take action to restore trust in the judicial arm, suggesting that a simple paragraph acknowledging the illegality of trying civilians in military courts could go a long way in restoring hope to the people of Uganda.
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