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A High Court judgement, which approved a Parliament decision to reward four commissioners with ‘a service award’ totalling Shs1.7b, has elicited a combustible debate within the legal fraternity.

On May 23, Mr Daniel Bwette, a concerned citizen, petitioned the High Court, seeking declaratory orders that the payment to members of the Parliamentary Commission as a service award was illegal, oppressive, irrational, biased, unfair and void.

He specifically sought a declaration that the meeting by the House commissioners to create an award payment is an abuse of power and in contravention of the principle that a leader should not make a decision when he or she has a pecuniary interest.

The commissioners, who received the payments, include former Leader of the Opposition Mathias Mpuuga and NRM-leaning MPs; Solomon Silwany, Esther Afoyochan, and Prossy Akampulira.

But High Court Justice Douglas Karekona Singiza, basing on the political question doctrine, on Tuesday ruled that the commissioners committed no illegality, saying the payment “was approved by Parliament and formed part of the budget presented by the Executive.”

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