Court Clears President Museveni’s Appointment of Army Officers into Police

High Court judge Musa Ssekana has ruled that President Museveni while appointing four UPDF officers in top positions of the Uganda Police didn’t act against any law as was alleged by lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi.

In his ruling in which he dismissed the matter with costs, Ssekana deduced government through the Attorney General produced proof that proper procedures of the law were followed in the appointment.

“The President has power to appoint as derived from Article 172 of the Constitution,” ruled the judge.

According to Ssekana, unlike claims by Mabirizi, Article 172 of the Constitution does not in any way fetter the powers of the President to appoint any one to head a department or any superior position in the public service position on the public service.

“In fact Section 38(3) of the UPDF Act provides that any officer or Militant of the UPDF may be attached to a public or private institution, private industry or any other body.”

On the applicant’s request for a declaration that the recruitment, training, deployment and maintaining of an armed force/militia named Local Defence Unit (LDU) is being illegal; the judge ruled he was convinced that basing on the method of recruitment it didn’t discriminate members of the general public thus being in conformity with the law

“I am forced to agree with the submission of Counsel for the Respondent that LDU fall in the category of a reserve force and the law supports the recruitment as submitted.”

In his application filed in August this year, Mabirizi asked court to declare the President’s appointment and secondment of four officers from Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to Uganda Police force at a rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) was unconstitutional.

The officers are Brigadier Sam Bakasumba, Brigadier Godfrey Golooba, Colonel Jese Kamunanwire and Colonel Sserunjogi Ddamulira.