I have learnt with shock this morning that the Vice President, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi will be the Chief Guest and is to preside over the 50 judges’ conference including the Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki, this morning at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala to, among others, take stock of the previous year and to review the Judicial integrity opinion report.

The public should recall that on the 20th day of October 2011, we filed Msc. Application No. 108 of 2011 an application for prayers that Election Petition No. 19; Mbabaali Jude v Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi is still before court and should heard and determined. The ruling is coming up for judgment on the 17th day of January 2011 by her Lordship Elizabeth Musoke.

In our opinion Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi would not have been the right person to preside over such a conference where the Judiciary is going to discuss issues relating to integrity of the judiciary because his image is now tainted in the public eye as he is battling election rigging before the same judges he is going to meet and preach to issues of integrity.

Secondly we have a fear that the presiding over of this conference by the said Ssekandi where the said Justice Elizabeth Musoke is in attendance may have an impact upon her decision in the said ruling that is to be delivered on the 17th day of 2012 at the High Court in Kampala. Or the words the said SSekandi may say at the occasion may influence the said judge not to reach the decision in the said ruling with complete impartiality.

We condemn the Judiciary for having made such a bad choice of Chief Guest given the circumstances and we pray that the said judge avoids the said conference to avoid being influenced in her decision in the said ruling that the whole country impatiently awaits for.

By Jude Mbabali