Margaret Zziwa wins EALA Speaker Case, Court Awards her Ushs 1.2 billion in Damages

The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has ruled that Former East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) speaker Margaret Zziwa was illegally removed from the position of speaker of the East African parliamentary body.

EACJ has ruled that former speaker Margaret Zziwa was illegally removed from office and should be compensated to the tune of 120,000 dollars (432 million Uganda Shillings). The ruling also orders that the former speaker's costs that amount to 200,000 dollars (720 million Uganda Shillings) should be paid by EALA.

Speaking on the ruling, former speaker Zziwa said, "God has vindicated me and I feel great. I have won the case after a long legal battle. The EAJC has done very well and reinstated confidence in the court. What the members did was bad they should be held accountable. What they did demeans the status of the assembly. It affects the integrity of the assembly."

Margaret Zziwa was the first female EALA speaker. She began her term in 2012 until her removal in 2015 over alleged abuse of office. Zziwa contested her removal.

The ruling was delivered today.

Details to follow