Close family members and friends panicked as they fought to save the life of one of the judges of the High Court who collapsed after receiving news that President Museveni had appointed soft spoken Justice Dr Douglas Karekona Singiza to head the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Family members were shocked to receive the bad news that the former judge of the Civil Division of the High Court was rushed to the nearby hospital in Nakasero yet they had spent the whole day with him at Court.
They were later briefed by doctors that the incident resulted from High Blood Pressure. They were assured that the situation was going to normalise.
“The wife told us that the man was on his phone WhatsApping friends and she insisted that he might have received bad news through his phone that caused his health condition to deteriorate and hence his collapse,” a source said.
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The source added that ss a close friend, he also thinks that the judge collapsed because of the bad news he received via his phone.
He disclosed that he remembers that the fateful day was when it was announced that Dr Singiza was appointed the JSC boss.
“You know he heavily invested in lobbying for that position, he paid some State House boys, but I warned him when I was told that he borrowed millions of shillings to pay those operatives to make a good recommendation before the President. He rubbished me when they sent him a picture of a cover letter allegedly signed by the president directing one of the intelligence officers to handle the verification and report back to him with the recommendation to appoint him as the head of the JSC or not,” a top judge said.
He explained that being a senior judicial officer who has seen colleagues lose millions of money in such scenarios, he was not convinced but the man was very sure that the job was his given that he is also a friend to one of the members of the deep state who controls the judiciary.
He added that even though many people including seasoned legislators and senior lawyers like Abdul Katuntu, Winfred Nuwagaba were shocked, for him, he was not shocked by the appointment of Dr Singiza because his father was a close friend to President Museveni and was killed in the armed political struggles to take over power.
“He also helped him in paying for his education and that of his siblings. So, that man is highly connected and feared, if in doubt you go and ask those people who worked with Justice Catherine Bamugemereire at the Land Probe, they will tell you who Singiza is,” a judge said.
Upon his appointment, Justice Singiza promised to clean the judiciary by fighting corrupt judicial officers and assured Ugandans that they are going to receive pure justice from the judiciary.
