Last week, the President of Uganda, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, through the power vested in him by Article 142(1) of the Constitution, appointed Alfonse Owiny Dollo as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Upon his appointment, he was to be deputized by Richard Butera, a justice of the same Court. This has, however, been heavily contested by a top city lawyer who wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga challenging this appointment.
Justice Richard Butera, early in 2010 served as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda since September 2017. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as a Justice of the Uganda Court of Appeal.
Mabirizi says that as a civically active Ugandan, he is contesting the constitutional procedural irregularity in which Richard Butera was appointed.
Mabirizi alleges that at the time of Richard Buteera’s nomination as the new deputy chief justice, the said position was not vacant. Male Mabirizi continues to say that the same position, deputy chief justice, was not advertised by the Judicial Service Commission as required by the law under Article 144(1).
