Museveni’s recent appointment of judges to Court of Appeal, High Court challenged

Lawyer Male Mabirizi has run to the East African Court of Justice to challenge the recent appointment of judges to the Court of Appeal and High Court by President Museveni.

The president in August appointed seven judges, two of who to the Court of Appeal and five to the High Court.

The judges included Eva Luswata and Christopher Gashirabake(Court of Appeal) and Tom Chemutai, Lawrence Tweyanze, Vincent Wagona, Alice Komuhangi and Florence Nakacwa to the High Court.

However, in his latest petition, Mabirizi says that while appointing the judges, the president used the name Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yet his name was changed in an October, 6, 2020 deed poll to Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni.

“by Deed poll dated October, 6, 2020, published in Uganda Gazette of October,7, 2020 Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni formally and absolutely renounced and abandoned the name Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and declared that he shall at all times from then in all records, deeds and instruments in writing and in all occasions that require the use of his full name. on November 4,2021 the Electoral Commission announced it had among others nominated him as a presidential candidate and on May,12, 2021 the said Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni took oath as the president of Uganda for the 2021-2026 term,”Mabirizi says in his affidavit.

The lawyer however says it was illegal for a one Yoweri K. Museveni holding out as president of Uganda to purport to appoint the new High Court and Court of Appeal judges.

“Since the name Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was formally and absolutely renounced and abandoned, it is illegal to sign in that name and any document issued in such name is illegal, null and void.”

The lawyer now wants the East African Court of Justice to rule that the appointment of the seven judges was null and void since it was not done by the president of Uganda.