Kampala, Uganda: The High Court in Kampala has issued an interim order temporarily blocking the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) from conducting their elections that were scheduled to take place on February 25.
The order was issued by the Head of High Court Civil Division, Musa Ssekaana on Friday morning.
According to Justice Ssekaana, the order is to stay in place until February 28, 2023, when the case is coming up for further directions.
Credit: Kfm.
Five journalists sued the Association for stopping them from participating in the upcoming elections.
Abubaker Lubowa, Zambaali Bulasio Mukasa, Emmanuel Nkata, Hasifu Sekiwunga, and Martin Kimbowa are the applicants who dragged UJA, its current president Mathias Rukundo, and secretary-general Emmanuel Kirunda to court.
The five journalists say the decision barring, stopping, eliminating, and ejecting them from standing as candidates for elective positions in UJA is illegal and an abuse of the respondent’s powers.
They add that the actions of Rukundo and Kirunda in organising the election process of UJA including the nomination process and subsequent vetting, in which they are also candidates, are illegal.
In their main suit, they want court to declare that the decision of the respondents in refusing to pass them through to go for final elections during the annual general meeting is a nullity as it is tainted with illegality, irrationality, bias and procedural impropriety.
They also seek an injunction, restraining the respondents from stopping them participate in the final election.
