The Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka is panicking after a nonsense Supreme Court Justice complained about incompetence and carelessness among President Museveni’s government lawyers
Justice Mike Chibita publicly expressed his displeasure against government lawyers especially those practicing with the Office of the Attorney General who fail to present good work to save government from losing cases.
Justice Chibita who was among the Supreme Court justices who presided over a Constitutional Appeal session explained that when they held those public offices, they were always serious when executing their assignments, but he wondered what happened to the current people representing the government.
“You people should know that you’re not the first lawyers to hold those offices. We also held those offices and we know very well work how work is done there. But this kind of incompetence must stop,” Justice Chibita said.
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He made the statement after Principal Senior State Attorney Geoffrey Madete and Commissioner George Karemera both practicing with the Attorney General’s chambers failed to file their submissions and other documents in time in the matter against the government. When the other side of the party raised the issue, government lawyers looked not bothered until it was dismissed on technicalities.
Other justices like Justice professor Lilian Tibatemwa supported Chibita while Karemera accepted the blame and promised to change for the better.
Karemera explained to the justices that they are overwhelmed with the number of cases filed against government, government departments, agencies and companies and these agencies are seeking legal opinion from their chambers.
He added that the merging of government agencies and organisations has also added on the bulk of their work.
He said that all legal files which were being handled by defunct Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) were transferred to their chambers yet they are supposed to handle them quickly.
He revealed that the Attorney General was briefed concerning the problem and they agreed in one of their top management meeting that in the coming financial year, government is going to recruit more than 50 lawyers to help in solving the problem in their office.
Justices were very happy with the explanation noting that they accepted it because was from a Commissioner, a big person in the Attorney General’s chambers
This website has established that a decision was made to prevent current government lawyers who are practicing with other departments and agencies not to apply for the said slots insisting that they will only welcome those from private practice and fresh graduates from the Law Development Centre.
Sources inside the Attorney General’s chambers said that Kiwanuka was advised by colleagues to be careful with his workaholic drive, noting that they were very scared that he was going to collapse in office.
The advice resulted from Kiwanuka’s decision to look into all the files, submissions and prayers filed in courts of law, all legal opinions issued by the Attorney General’s chambers and issuing of awards resulting from legal defeats against the government.
He further directed that government through his office should start carrying out executions against private individuals who lose court cases against the government, a move which scared serial litigants like Male Mabirizi.
Kiwanuka accept the advice and now top legal officers are the ones who handle these issues even without the knowledge of the Attorney General.
However, when it comes to sensitive files and matters, especially those involving the person of the president, where the president has interest or members of the Deep State and the army, he has to be briefed to guide accordingly.
Kiwanuka issued a directive that all awards to individuals should be deposited from the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development to the private individuals bank accounts not on their lawyers accounts as it was before he took office.
Sources said that Kiwanuka issued the directive acting on President Museveni’s guidance after complaints that his supporters and other people have reached him complaining that lawyers eat their money when government compensates them.
However, the lawyers argued that they decided to have the money deposited on their accounts because most times when their clients are compensated through their private accounts, they don’t pay them as agreed.
Among those who tested Kiwanuka’s decision is Isaac Ssemakadde Kimaze the Uganda Law Society president who defeated government and Court awarded him Shs700m. The process was done but when Kiwanuka was appointed the Attorney General, he reversed the process and directed the government lawyers to appeal against Ssemakadde’s win even though their appeal was out of time.
