The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Judiciary has remained tight-lipped on three female Judges who are embroiled in different issues in and outside the country.
The three Judges include Supreme Court Lady Justice Esther Kisaakye who fled the country over what her lawyers at KBW Advocates said were threats to her life.
Her troubles began when she delivered a dissenting decision agreeing with the applicant in the Presidential Election Petition in which then National Unity Platform-NUP party candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu was challenging the victory of the incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The other is High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe who was arrested and charged in the United Kingdom in connection with an ongoing modern slavery investigation in Oxfordshire.
She was accused of facilitating the travel of a maid with intentions to exploit her and requiring her to perform forced or compulsory labour which breached the UK immigration law by a non-UK national. Her trial is expected to start on February 10th 2025 having been formally charged on August 7 2024 following a review by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The other is High Court Judge Faridah Bukirwa who was ordered by the Principal Judge Dr Flavian Zeija to vacate office on the basis that her appointment as a judge had not been confirmed by the appointing Authority.
In an interview at the Judiciary Quarterly Press conference, regarding the fate of the Judicial Officers, Pius Bigirimana, the Permanent Secretary to the Judiciary declined to respond to the questions.
The first question was whether Justice Kisaakye is still an employee of the Judiciary and still drawing money from the Judiciary despite having fled the country. On this, Bigirimana stated that he was not the supervisor of Justice Kisaakye and indicated that the Chief Justice was the right person to ask.
In July 2022, Dr Bigirimana wrote to Kisaakye informing her of her absence from work without official leave for nine months and demanded an explanation as to why he shouldn’t recover nine months paid to her without working.
But, challenged, Bigirimana said that he wanted evidence regarding that Kisaakye is out of the country. Tasked further if he continues to pay her since he said he hadn’t received evidence that she fled, Bigirimana declined to respond.
About the fate of Justice Faridah Bukirwa, Bigirimana said that he was not the supervisor of the Judges and that it was the Principal Judge. He indicated that Bukirwa’s contract was never renewed because there were issues to be sorted out. He said the Judicial Service Commission-JSC wrote to that effect and he is still waiting for communication from the JSC.
Regarding Justice Lydia Mugambe and whether the Judiciary was taking any steps to intervene, Bigirimana insisted that this question was not for him but for the Public Relations Officer.
According to Bigirimana, his work is to support the judicial officers to adjudicate and when he is not sure of something, he can’t say it.
Asked if he has been advised by their supervisors to stop paying the three lady Justices, Bigirimana said he has not yet been advised to that effect. And further asked for clarity if this meant he would continue to pay them, but Bigirimana’s response was neither here nor there.
Several petitions and statements have in the recent past been written by different human rights defenders, activists and organizations demanding Justice on behalf of the female Judges.
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