Constitutional Court set to start age limit hearing

Constitutional Court has appointed five Judges of Court of Appeal to start the hearing of petitions filed by concern Citizens against age limit bill that was passed into law days after endorsing it in Parliament.
The appointed Judges are Deputy Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo, Remmy Kasule, Kenneth Kakuru, Elizabeth Musoke and Chebrion Barishaki.
In a meeting with both the litigant’s lawyer Wandera Ogalo and Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana, Justice Dollo implore both parties to leave political issues and resort to addressing legal matters, “politics is not necessary, if it was then, you would not have come to courts of law” he added.
“Since court announced Mbale as the venue where the case will herd, I consulted Chief Justice Bart Katureebe on the matter including convenience as it was stated by litigants, he said in a nutshell that, ‘their argument is baseless, judiciary has the jurisdiction to handle any matter in any court in Uganda.’
According to Dollo, Court will be looking into three issues which include the expunging of age limit cap that had been set at 75 years, the extension of Legislators’ terms in office from five to seven years and the suspension of 2021 elections to 20123.The hearing of the matter is scheduled to start on April 9, 2018 in Mbale.
Last year, six opposition legislators led by Winnie Kiiza, Uganda Law Society, Male Mabirizi among other concerned citizens petitioned the Constitutional Court challenging Age Limit Act auguring that the process of enacting the bill was marred with violence, assault of legislators, storming of Special Forces Command (SFC) in Parliamentary chambers and violations of human rights which among others contradicts with Parliamentary rules and procedures.