East Africa Court Declines to Halt Uganda’s Electoral Process

The East African Court of Justice sitting in Arusha on Thursday dismissed Hassan Male Mabirizi’s application for an interim injunction halting the ongoing electoral process in Uganda, before his main case is heard.

In their ruling, the four judges of the regional court; Monica Mugenyi, Faustina Ntezilyayo, Audace Ngirye and Charles Nyachae ruled that the evidence brought before court didn’t satisfy them that the ongoing electoral process will make Mabirizi suffer irreparable damages.

They justices therefore ordered for the status quo to be maintained after examining the level of prejudice to be suffered by both the petitioner and the respondents in case this application is granted.

The court made it clear however, that this matter is properly before it.

In April last year the majority judgment of Supreme court justices in Uganda dismissed the consolidated appeal by Uganda Law society, Six Members of Parliament and Mabirizi as it upheld the Age limit amendments.

Mabirizi, one of the petitioners rushed to the regional court seeking nullification of the Ugandan court decision, arguing that several actions, directives and decisions of all the three organs of government in conceptualizing, processing, pursuing and upholding of the age limit amendments was an infringement on the provisions of the East African Community treaty.