Judiciary Releases Burial Program As Justice Kakuru’s Body Arrives In Uganda

The judiciary has released a program to send off the late Court of Appeal Judge, Kenneth Kakuru who died on Tuesday this week at AgaKhan Hospital in Kenya’s Capital Nairobi.

The program had been confirmed by the judiciary spokesperson, Jamson Karemani saying the late Justice Kakuru’s body arrived in Uganda on Wednesday at midnight and was taken to A plus funeral home in Kampala further noting that a special court session will be held today at the judiciary headquarters at 2 pm.

“Judicial officers and advocates are requested to robe for this special session. Thereafter, the body will be taken to his home in Buziga for an overnight vigil,” Karemani said in a statement.

According to Karemani, there will be a funeral service at All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero at 9 am on Friday after which the body will be transported to Rwebishuri, Mbarara for an overnight vigil.

There will be a funeral service at St.James Cathedral, Ruharo before the late Justice Kakuru’s body will be laid to rest in Rwebishuri at 4 pm on Saturday.

Justice Kakuru died age of 65 at Aga Khan hospital in Kenya where he had been admitted with prostate cancer which was in advanced stages.

Born in 1958, the late Justice Kenneth Kakuru held a  bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s of law from Makerere University,

He also held a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre but also a master’s degree in educational policy, planning and development from Kyambogo University.

He also practiced law through his own law firm, Kakuru and Company Advocates.

Kakuru has been a justice of the Court of Appeal since 2013 and it is here that he became famous with his judgements.

Kakuru is very famous for his dissenting judgment nullifying the removal of age limits from the Constitution in 2018.

Giving his judgement, Justice Kakuru began by reciting the country’s history right from the ‘reign of terror’ of Idi Amin to the current NRM government quoted President  Museveni’s 1986 speech where he promised democratic governance, change in the quality of politics and people power.

In his judgment, Kakuru explained that the MPs consulted very few people, a size which was not representative of the actual number of voters as registered by the Electoral Commission during the previous 2016 elections.

“There was no enough evidence that the people of Uganda participated in these amendments. The evidence is too insignificant to constitute a meaningful participation of the people,” he ruled.

“Having said all that, I declare that the entire amendment was unconstitutional and should be declared null and void,” Justice Kakuru ruled before awarding costs to petitioners.

He also ruled that extending the tenure for parliament from five to seven years was illegal because it contravened the provisions of the constitution.

“If we go by what happened, it would mean that parliament would every five years extend its terms without holding an election and this is what Idi Amin did by declaring himself life president and parliament,” Kakuru ruled.

“They can even abolish  the judiciary.”

Kakuru was also among the justices that nullified section 8 of the Public Order Management Act which was previously used by police to stop public gatherings.

This section was used specifically to target opposition gatherings.

The judge has made several other rulings that have rattled the status quo.