NRM rebel MPs case pushed to Friday

By Hillary Nsambu and Andante

The Constitutional Court is expected tomorrow (Friday) to hear an application to temporarily stop the four expelled NRM rebel MPs from accessing Parliament and using its facilities until the Constitutional Court pronounces its final verdict.  

Prior, hearing had been scheduled for Thursday but due to time constraints, the matter was adjourned to Friday after the Attorney General’s legal team led by the director civil litigation Cheborion Barishaki, requested that the matter be pushed.

The panel of Justices led by the Steven Kavuma, appeared in the fully packed court room, and summoned the parties, and their lawyers into his chambers for a closed chamber discussion.  Other members of the panel are Justices Augustine Nshimye, and Remmy Kasule.

The MPs are Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga County), Mohammed Nsereko (Kampala central), Barnabas Tinkasimire (Buyaga west) and Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East). All were present except Nsereko.

The case arose in early May when Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga rejected NRM's demand to notify the Electoral Commission that the rebel MPs’ seats had become vacant. She said no specific provision in the Constitution on the expulsion of MPs by their political parties, leads to declaring of their seats in parliament vacant.

But NRM argues that the continued implementation of Kadaga’s ruling is depriving the party of the gains and benefits ushered in by multiparty democracy. The party insists the MPs are strangers in the August House, with no identity.