City self centred Lawyer, Male Kiwanuka Mabirizi has asked Chief Justice Alfonse Owinyi Dolo to recuse himself from the election petition in which Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, the National Unity Platform president challenged Museveni’s victory in 2021 elections.
Lawyer Mabirizi says the involvement of Chief Justice Owinyi Dolo in the petition discredits his confidence and credibility from the members of the public since he was representing President Museveni in a similar election petition by Dr.Kizza Besigye in 2006 challenging Museveni’s victory.
“Your participation erodes the confidence not only in you but the entire judiciary because judgment must be rooted in confidence and confidence is destroyed when right-minded people go away thinking the judge was biased,”Mabirizi says in his letter to the Chief Justice.
According to Mabirizi, a judicial officer shall refrain from participating in any proceedings in which their impartiality may reasonably be questioned or when they have background information or experience such as their prior work as a lawyer.
“If you continue sitting, you will no doubt be contravening the Constitutional principles laid down under articles 28(i), 44( c) , 126 and 128 of the 1995 constitution which was made after several human sacrifices of our dear predecessors and brothers in the name of fairness and you will have abdicated your judicial oath,” Mabirizi says.
He argues that it will constitutionally be illegal and unacceptable if Chief Justice Dollo refuses to recuse himself from the election petition filed by Robert Kyagulanyi challenging President Museveni’s victory.
Photo credit: Courtesy of NTV Uganda.
