A scheduled Supreme Court hearing in a case involving the removal of Francis Zaake as Commissioner of Parliament was postponed yesterday after two justices on the panel recused themselves from the matter.
The justices, whose names were not immediately disclosed, cited their prior involvement in the case during its earlier hearing at the Constitutional Court, before their elevation to the Supreme Court, as the reason for their withdrawal.
The case stems from an appeal filed by the Attorney General challenging a 2022 Constitutional Court decision that found the removal of Zaake by Parliament to be procedurally flawed.
Appearing before court, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago—who is also legal counsel for Zaake—urged the Supreme Court to reconstitute the panel urgently. He emphasized the need for timely adjudication, noting that the matter has been pending since March 2022.
Lukwago warned that further delay could render the case moot with the approach of the end of the current parliamentary term, despite the matter raising fundamental constitutional questions about parliamentary procedure and justice.
Zaake, the MP for Mityana Municipality, was removed from his position as a Parliamentary Commissioner in March 2022. He challenged the decision in the Constitutional Court, which ruled in his favor, prompting the Attorney General to appeal.
A new date for the hearing will be set once a fresh panel of justices is constituted.
