The lawyers representing Habib Buwembo on Monday afternoon asked Court to grant them permission to add Makerere University on the list of respondents (defendants) that Buwembo is facing in his quest to unseat Hon. Kato Lubwama from his position as the MP for Rubaga South. This was during the first hearing of the case in which Habib is seeking Court’s authorisation to file out of time an election petition against Kato Lubwama over the latter’s lack of academic qualifications.
Buwembo’s lawyer, Mr. Isaac Ssemakadde of Centre for Legal Aid has submitted that it is necessary to join Makerere as a party to the case so that it can explain the circumstances under which Kato Lubwama was admitted to pursue his Diploma despite the inadequacy of his academic credentials, and also explain why it has to date failed to recall the Diploma in light of the latest revelations about his academic standing.
However, the Kato Lubwama’s four-strong legal team led by Mr. Asuman Basalirwa summarily objected to the application on grounds that allowing the request will be prejudicial to their client, although they did not elaborate on what prejudice they were referring to. Justice Oguli has now set Friday 4th September for her ruling on this application.
But the drama played out outside the Courtroom. In a scene reminiscent of the trend started by IGP Kale Kayihura’s supporters, hundreds of Kato Lubwama’s supporters pitched camp outside the entrance to the Twed Towers building where High Court is located, after their plans to access the Court premises were foiled by Counter-Terrorism police.
Clad in in white T Shirts embossed with the word “Solida,” Kato’s supporters created an intimidating atmosphere for Buwembo and his team, with the few who made it inside the Court room promising to teach Buwembo “a lesson” he would never forget.
True to their word, two members from Habib’s camp including Norman Tumuhimbise the national coordinator of the Jobless Brotherhood pressure group and another unidentified sympathiser of Buwembo’s suffered the wrath of unknown goons who accosted them in the basement of Twed Towers and thumped the hell out of them until Police intervened.
At the hearing, Kato Lubwama was flanked by over five MPs including Hon. Muhammad Nsereko and Hon. Allan Ssewanyana. Other people from Lubwama’s camp included Andrew Benon Kibuuka, among others.
At the closing of the hearing, the Judge lambasted Kato Lubwama over his crowd of supporters and threatened to recuse herself from the case if this behavior is repeated in the future. Kato Lubwama rose up, straightened his coat and comically responded “most obliged, my Lord,” to which the courtroom exploded into peals of laughter.
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