The Supreme Court of Uganda is finally set to deliver its judgment on January 31, 2025, regarding the constitutionality of trying civilians in military courts. But this announcement comes too little, too late for countless Ugandans who have suffered under a regime that thrives on legal manipulation and authoritarian control. For years, Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo and his bench have turned the judiciary into a tool for suppressing dissent, eroding public trust, and trampling on human rights.
The prolonged delay in resolving Attorney General vs. Hon. Micheal Kabaziguruka is not an oversight—it is a calculated betrayal of the Ugandan people. Civilians languish in detention, facing unfair military tribunals, while the courts stand idle. This debacle raises urgent questions about judicial independence under President Museveni’s dictatorship. Instead of safeguarding justice, the judiciary has become complicit in perpetuating the regime’s iron-fisted grip on power.
The arrest and sentencing of lawyer Eron Kiiza for “contempt of court” is emblematic of the systemic rot within Uganda’s legal framework. Kiiza, a defender of human rights, was silenced for daring to challenge the misuse of military courts. Meanwhile, activist Agather Atuheire, arrested for protesting judicial delays, is a stark reminder of how Museveni’s regime criminalizes dissent. The judiciary, designed to protect freedoms, has instead become an accomplice in quashing them.
Legal scholars and human rights defenders have been unequivocal in their condemnation of trying civilians in military courts. Such trials violate Uganda’s Constitution and international obligations guaranteeing fair trials. Yet Museveni, ever the tyrant, justifies military tribunals as tools for “stability” and “discipline.” This is a laughable excuse for silencing critics, bypassing civilian oversight, and eliminating political threats under the guise of national security.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling could have far-reaching implications. Invalidating military trials for civilians would mark a pivotal victory for human rights and signal the judiciary’s return to its constitutional mandate. However, if the court upholds this barbaric practice, it will confirm its complicity in Museveni’s authoritarianism, sparking further protests from civil society.
Ugandans must reject this betrayal by a compromised judiciary and demand a return to rule of law. Anything less would render the Supreme Court a mere extension of Museveni’s oppressive regime—an enabler of injustice masquerading as a bastion of justice.
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