KAMPALA. The lawyers of Byamukama Kaboneka & co. Advocates have petitioned the Chief Justice, Bart Magunda Katureebe over the delayed delivery of the judgment in the presidential age limit petitions after the expired two months deadline.
In their letter dated June 20, to the Chief Justice, the lawyers claim that at the end of the hearing of the presidential age limit petitions on April 19, your Lordships committed court to deliver the judgment expeditiously although on notice.
“It is over two months since the hearing of the matter in Mbale but court is silent as to when it will deliver its judgment. This has created concern among the petitioners and Ugandans who have an interest and have been following the matter,” reads in part the letter.
“We are mindful of the heavy schedule of the court both as a Court of Appeal and Constitution Court, however, under Article 137(7) and Rule 10, court is empowered to suspend any other business pending before it, sit on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in order to ensure an expeditious hearing in Constitutional matters such as the one at Mbale,” the letter added.
The Uganda Code of Judicial Conduct gives court 60 days to deliver a judgment that has been put on notice from the date of concluding the hearing.
In the letter the petitioners and their legal counsel therefore remind your Lordships to abide by the commitment made in Mbale and the Constitutional requirement to deliver the judgment on time.
On April 19, a panel of five justices led by Deputy Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo heard and concluded the hearing of the age limit petitions in Mbale District and reserved the same judgment on notice.
The petitioners were challenging the entire process that led to the amendment of the Constitution that saw the removal of the presidential upper cap age limit of 75 years and the lower age cap limit of 35years.
