By Hannah Marion Namukasa
There has been mystery on who really executed an order to confiscate Justice Esther Kitimbo Mayambala Kisaakye’s dissenting ruling in the Bobi Wine application to withdraw the presidential election petition challenging President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni victory last week.
Kisaakye, one of the nine justices of the Supreme Court who participated in the hearing and disposal of the presidential election petition clashed with her colleagues after she failed to comply with their practice of sharing her rulings with her colleagues.
An insider source at the supreme court who purportedly saw it all, revealed that Justice Kisaakye who happened to be the most senior judge on the panel and in charge administration at the court refused to cooperate with colleagues which prompted the Chief Justice Alfonse Owinyi Dollo to direct three registrars to pick all the files from the tent-turned courtroom and also switch off the lights and the public address system which order they defied.
Our source privy to the matter who also preferred not to be named said, upon adjourning the matter in a meeting with lawyers, chief justice Owiny Dollo called his blue-eyed boy who happens to be one of the clerks only identified as Ruhangura and directed him to confiscate Kisaakye’s file which job he is said to have executed swiftly.
The talked about Ruhangura, is the tall slender gentleman with glasses who commanded the policemen donned in black uniforms to pick all the files for the judges, it is alleged that himself picked Kisaakye’s file and also directed the operators of the privately hired public address system to be switch off.
He was also the one in charge of reading the file, preparing the case and the custodian of the case files for the judges. He is said to be feared so much at the court due to his purported influence with the powers that be since it’s alleged that he is deep rooted in the system.
The source also revealed that the same man defied Kisaakye’s directive to have her file returned which forced her to leave the court room to pick her duplicate copy..
We have also established that the same man ordered the police to close the gates when Bobi Wine’ lawyers were bringing the affidavit evidence to court on February 14, 2021.
After getting the information, we reached out to the Judiciary principal communications officer Solomon Muyita, who refuted the claims that a one Ruhangura a senior clerk at the Supreme Court Commanded the operation to confiscate Justice Kisaakye’s file on orders of the Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo.
“I am not very sure that Ruhangura commanded the move to confiscate Justice Kisakye’s file. We have explained whatever happened on that day in our press statements but let me consult and find out” Muyita said.
It should be recalled that on the fateful day, one of the nine justices of the supreme court in charge of Bobi Wine withdrawn election petition Esther Kisakye accused the Chief justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo for confiscating her file containing a dissenting ruling and ordering for the switch off the public address system which action she termed as barbaric.
