Disappointed by her country’s leader, Gen Yoweri Museveni, a frail widow has decided to retreat to Busoga and, painfully die. First of all, the National Commercial Bank of Africa (NCBA) based on a verdict issued by Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala (ANB) and disposed of a kibanja located in Busambagga village in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso district.
The kibanja was still a subject of litigation in a case pending before Justice Susan Kanyange (SK) and lodged by Rose Nabusoba Namakula, a widow aged 64. That case sought to block auction of a subject kibanja based on loans NCBA purportedly granted to the third parties without Nabusoba’s knowledge, consent and approval.
As she still waited for her earlier case’s hearing and resolution before Judge Susan Kanyange, a supposed impostor, Margaret Namayanja, went behind her back, lodging another case before Justice Batala, based on the same facts as the ones earlier lodged by the widow, accusing NCBA exactly of what the widow was also doing.
Namayanja and NCBA quickly compromised their case and Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala quickly acceded to the auction of a kibanja which was still a subject of litigation in Namusoba’s case before Batala’s colleague, Susan Kanyange. Thereafter, NCBA based on Batala’s verdict and quickly disposed of a kibanja still under contestation, removing away from the case pending before Justice Kannyange, a critical bone of contention which was still pending a resolution.
From the proceeds, Namayanja shared a cool UGX100m, the bank took UGX400m and the lawyers involved in the case smiled to the bank with a cool UGX50m. Not a bad harvest really from a case that had been compromised in a matter of days. To the widow’s shock and dismay, Gen Museveni seemingly ignored her petition, elevating Batala to a substantive judge, despite having given away her supposed kibanja.
And just recently, the Fountain of Honor appointed Batala an Inspectorate of Government, dashing the widow’s hopes to secure any justice from anywhere in the country. Consequently, a landless and deeply traumatized Namusoba, has finally decided to retreat to her ancestral village in Busoga and die.
“My friend, the poor woman went back to Busoga to die,” an audibly dejected lawyer, who privately and commendably prosecuted a widow’s case, stated when reached for a comment and quickly hung up. Prior to giving up, a law abiding citizen, Namusoba duly took her greviences to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) mandated to reprimand the suspectedly errant judges.
But the JSC led by Justice Dr Douglas Isingiza, for a period spanning over six months, neglected to attend to the widow’s petition, potentially resolving her dispute. Additionally, JSC did not presumably provide professional advice to the President, to potentially halting Batala’s first confirmation and second appointment as an IGG.
JSC’s inaction, rendered pointless, the widow’s petition, demanding for justice, leaving at-large a judge suspected of professional misconduct, that culminated into conversion of a widow’s purported kibanja, prompting an aggrieved, sad betrayed and landless elderly petitioner to return to her village out of frustration, waiting for her death.
JSC’s inaction reflects bias and favoritism with which the group handle a certain category of their own judicial officers suspected of professional misconduct. Secondly, the inaction highlights JSC’s lack of care and doesn’t bode well for the critical need to render accountability by the suspectedly errant judicial officers dragged to JSC for administrative reprimand.
Furthermore, the inaction negates the duty placed on JSC to promote professional and ethical standards among members of the bench. Additionally, the inaction makes a mockery of the cardinal duty of JSC to promote and foster the rule of law.
Most of all, the inaction of JSC scandalizes a country’s leader, Gen Museveni, having appointed a judge still faced with issues of integrity and professionalism, especially because the responsible professional body neglected to resolve the judge’s issues, let alone to advise the appointing authority to halt his actions pending resolution of the issues a widow accused a judge of.
Finally, though it can be assumed that JSC covered up their own, but records probably never go stale, and they will inform posterity that a judge one time in the past had issues and a JSC led by Justice Dr Douglas Isingiza denied both a petitioner and a judge an audience and therefore deprived them both, of justice.
Author Profile
- Mr. Stephen Kasozi Muwambi is a seasoned crime investigative writer, majoring in judicial-based stories. His two decades’ experience as a senior investigative journalist has made him one of the best to reckon on in Uganda. He can also be reached via [email protected]
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