Parliament explains Kavuma-Kadaga row

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga. Photo/File

Parliament has dismissed claims by the Uganda Law Society that the Judicial Service Commission had reservations about the appointment of Justice Steven Kavuma as the Deputy Chief Justice, saying that they were never warned.

"The Rt. Hon. Speaker wishes to categorically state that no person or organization, be it Uganda Law Society or the Judicial Service Commission wrote to Parliament about the suitability or legality of the appointment of Justice Kavuma as the deputy chief justice," reads the press statement.

According to the statement, the president's letter of March 2, 2015, appointing Justice Bart Katureebe and Kavuma as Chief and deputy Chief Justice respectively, indicated that the appointments were done on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

The statement further states that when Kavuma appeared before parliament for vetting, some members raised a matter about the legality of his appearance before the Appointments Committee on grounds that his appointment was not done on the advice of JSC as mandated under article 142 (1) of the Constitution.

"It was agreed that no such petition had been received by parliament and the only relevant information before the committee was the letter of the president nominating him and Katureebe," the statement signed by the Parliaments communications director, Chris Obore, states.

He said that during vetting, questions were put to Kavuma regarding media reports that his appointment was not done on the advice of JSC but he responded to the parliament's satisfaction with documents supporting his assertion.

"Whereas the opportunity was given to the public, no body or entity wrote to the Appointments Committee, the speaker or the clerk to parliament questioning the suitability of Kavuma's appointmnent," Obore said.

He said that had parliament been availed with information concerning the suitability of Kavuma's appointment, it would have been put into consideration.

Early this week, the Law Society president said that JSC had reservations about the appointment but parliament glossed over the issue.