KAMPALA – A Law professor has petitioned the Supreme Court seeking orders to hold the Attorney General William Byaruhanga in contempt of court for failing to follow up and report back on the recommended electoral reforms that were recommended during the final judgement of the 2016 presidential election petition.
Prof Fredrick Ssempebwa and other law dons; Fredrick Jjuko and Kituo Cha are seeking the court to declare that Byaruhanga is unfit to hold the office of the Attorney General has failed to follow up on the implementation of these reforms and report back to court on the progress within 2 years.
In their notice of motion filed today evening March 26 at the Supreme court registry, the three contend that in the presidential election petition of 2016, court made orders on election reforms to be implemented by other, organs of state, namely parliament and executive and directed the Attorney General to follow up the implementation.
The three add that court set a two-year time frame from the date of the aforementioned judgment within which the Attorney General was to report to this court the measures taken to implement the orders.
“Ever since that date of judgement the said orders have not been implemented and the Attorney General has not reported back to this honourable court,” reads in part the court document.
Through their lawyers of Kirunda & Wasige Advocates, Rwakafuzi & Co. Advocates and Tuasirwe & Co. Advocates are seeking court orders that appropriate measures be put in place to compel the Attorney General to comply with court orders.
On August 20, 2016, nine justices of the Supreme court led by the Chief justice Bart Katureebe presided over a presidential election that was filed by former premier Amama Mbabazi against president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
At the tail end of their unanimous ruling that upheld the election of the incumbent president made ten recommendations to parliament and the Executive regarding the review and amendment of the Presidential Election Act.
Among the recommendations were; enlarging the time within which a presidential election petition is filed and determined, reviewing the time for holding fresh elections in case a presidential election is annulled and Equal use of state-owned media by presidential aspirants.
Others were recommendations to prohibit donations by a sitting president during campaigns and refusing civil servants from participating in political campaigns for their favourite candidates.
The application is yet to be served on the Attorney General Chambers.
