Top Story!! CJ Owiny-Dollo Gives Museveni Serious Advice, Asks Him To Do This Immediately Supreme Court Ruling, See

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has proposed a legal framework to President Yoweri Museveni following the Supreme Court’s ruling that barred the General Court Martial (GCM) from trying civilians. In a bid to address legal uncertainties while preserving military justice, Owiny-Dollo has suggested integrating the GCM as a division of the High Court.

Delivering his ruling on the trial of civilians in military courts, the Chief Justice advised the Executive and Parliament to restructure the GCM within the High Court system instead of establishing a separate judicial body. Under his proposal, magistrates in this division would oversee cases within their jurisdiction, while the GCM would be limited to handling capital criminal cases involving military personnel and select exceptional civilian cases.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the GCM lacked jurisdiction over civilians, emphasizing that military tribunals such as the Summary Trial Authority (STA) and the Unit Disciplinary Committee (UDC) had been unlawfully exercising judicial powers. The court found that these tribunals’ authority to detain and imprison civilians violated constitutional provisions, rendering parts of the UPDF Act unconstitutional.

To align military justice with constitutional principles, Owiny-Dollo recommended that the government redefine the roles of UDCs and STAs, restricting them to purely disciplinary functions and removing their power to impose prison sentences.

With the Supreme Court’s decision setting a new legal precedent, the government is now expected to review the Chief Justice’s recommendations and consider necessary legal reforms to bring military justice in line with constitutional requirements.