Deputy Chief Justice names panel of judges to hear age limit petition

The Deputy Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny- Dollo has named a panel of 5 Constitutional Court justices to preside over hearing of the age-limit petitions set to be held in Mbale early next month.

The panel was announced during the second conferencing meeting with the parties involved in the petitions held on Tuesday.

Conferencing is when parties involved in the matter meet before the judge to sort out issues that would be the centre of focus as the hearing commences.

The panel named comprises Owiny Dollo as the lead judge, Remmy Kasule, Elizabeth Musoke , Kenneth Kakuru and Cheborion Barishaki.

During the meeting, all parties agreed that the petitions be heard starting April 9 as the most convenient date for all.

Last week, the Deputy Chief Justice announced that the five petitions filed by the Uganda Law Society (ULS), six opposition MPs , lawyer, Male Mabirizi, Dr.Abed Bwanika and Prosper Busingye,a concerned citizen from Western Uganda had been merged into one.

He later announced that hearing had been transferred to Mbale and that it would be done in a marathon style but this didn’t not go well with the petitioners who complained of the long distance and inconvenience.

Erias Lukwago, who represented some of the petitioners said that the venue for the petitions is too far and a lot of time will be wasted away from their usual duties but the Deputy Chief Justice insisted that like Kampala, Mbale is also part of Uganda that court can hear the petitions from there.

Parliament on December 20 passed the age limit bill before being signed into law by President Museveni seven days later to allow lifting of the cap on the lower and upper age limit from 35 and 75 respectively.

However, according to the petitioners, the masses were not fully consulted before the amendments were done.