Lawyer Male Mabirizi uses fresh case on Muhoozi, Among Soroti rally to test judiciary’s spine

By Stephen Kasozi Muwambi

Let me clarify this straight away. I fully support Gen Kainerugaba Muhoozi’s constitutional right to enjoy his rights as a politician but only as a civilian.

Merely because Muhoozi by accident of birth happens to be a son of the president doesn’t take away his right to participate in the politics of his country but so long as he has first resigned as a military officer.

I must admit and also emphasize that Muhoozi is vested with the right education credentials and he is of the right age to engage in politics as he so wishes but so long as he is a retired military man.

That is the end of what I wished to state as a preamble to this conversation.

So often the Ugandan police have stopped opposition rallies over the excuse that the organizers were likely going to disorganize public order, the proper conduct of business and the traffic flow.

In the past people like Gen David Sejusa and Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde have been prosecuted over the excuse of them having engaged in what had been deemed by the military authorities to be political activities at the same time as they were still serving in the army.

With that said, we shall wait to see how the courts are going to act in the case Male Mabirizi has just filed about the rally parliament speaker, Annet Anita Among Magogo called in Bukedea-Soroti. And which rally, not only the First Son, but Gen Kainerugaba Muhoozi attended.

But the same First Son even also used the same rally to utter some political statements as he continues to further his presidential bid. Yet at the same time as Muhoozi is only not obvious but also still a full-serving military officer.

That rally was not only held in a public place but was also massively jammed with people and therefore could have ended up interfering with public order, traffic flow and the proper conduct of business.

Consider as well. At same the time, as Muhoozi was attending this rally, there was also still a pending case at the East African Court of Justice on the issue of the First Son’s continued participation in active politics as and when he is yet still irrefutably a serving military officer.

That case was also filed by Male Mabirizi in response to statements Muhoozi had uttered and which, kindly recall, ended up causing a diplomatic row between Uganda and Kenya.

Such was the storm occasioned by Muhoozi’s said statements that his father deemed it prudent to apologize to his counterpart in Kenya, Dr Samuel Ruto in order to stem the diplomatic row that had been triggered by those reckless statements.

Male Mabirizi is also suing Muhoozi at the city hall magistrates court over issues still to do with politics. That case is still pending also.

Mabirizi has filed many cases so that one can now be tempted to dismiss this guy as an overly legalistic or lugezigezi guy.

But even so, the crux of the matter should be the credibility, or lack of it, of Mabirizi’s cases not the many times or cases he has filed.

To go back to the subject of this conversation, now that Mabirizi has filed yet another case questioning the political activities of Gen Kainerugaba Muhoozi, the onus has shifted to the judiciary to prove that they are there to administer justice to all manner of men and in all manner of cases without fear, favour and or ill will.

Mabirizi’s case is a good opportunity and or a litmus test for the judiciary to prove itself as a genuinely true temple of justice or not.

Get me right, am not trying to prejudice the court’s mind but rather to provoke the judges to act as per their oath of office to offer justice without bias or any other considerations.