MP Odur Questions AG Kiryowa: "Did You Advise the President the Same Way You’re Telling Us Here?"

In today's parliamentary session, Jonathan Odur, the Member of Parliament for Erute South, raised concerns about the legal advice given by Attorney General Kiwanuka Kiryowa.

Odur expressed his concerns, asking the Attorney General if the advice he presented in Parliament matched what he had shared with the President. "The President quoted that he called you on the phone, and you seemed to have given him advice that doesn't match what you're telling us here," Odur remarked.

He suggested that the Attorney General, as a party to the case, might have been overwhelmed by the outcome of a significant legal battle. Despite this, Odur called on Kiryowa to clarify whether the advice given to Parliament was the same as the one provided to the President.

The questioning followed Kiryowa’s statement in Parliament, where he explained the process involving Uganda Prisons Services and the General Court Martial. Kiryowa clarified that the Prisons Services had been instructed to wait for the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to take over criminal trials before any action could be taken on inmates awaiting trial or serving sentences before the Court Martial.

However, the Attorney General’s comments were met with criticism from the Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi. Ssenyoni accused Kiryowa of misadvising the General Court Martial, arguing that his suggestion for the Court Martial to continue holding inmates until the DPP decided to take over the cases was unlawful.

"The Supreme Court has already ruled that cases before the Court Martial should cease immediately," Ssenyonyi said. "Forcing the Court Martial to hold onto these matters until the DPP makes a decision goes against the law."

Kiryowa addressed the concerns raised by MPs and requested that Minister of Justice, Norbert Mao, be given time to meet with the Judiciary to discuss the prolonged pre-trial detention of inmates.

Kiryowa explained that Mao had attempted to meet with the Chief Justice and other members of the Judiciary last week but was unable to due to their busy schedules, particularly with the ongoing Judges Conference. Kiryowa asked Parliament to grant additional time for Mao to arrange the meeting and report back on the issue.