The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has agreed to hear a case filed by a Ugandan lawyer on presidential age limit, The East African newspaper reports.
Ugandan lawyer Mr Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka is accusing Uganda of violating the East Africa Community (EAC) treaty on the principles of good governance and failure to adhere to the principles of democracy.
Uganda, through the attorney general, has asked the court to dismiss the case terming the application as “frivolous and vexatious.”
The EACJ however declined to issue an injunction stopping preparations for the Uganda elections.
“The question of the court’s jurisdiction has been raised in the response by the Attorney General of Uganda. It is thus an issue for determination at trial,” Lady Justice Monica Mugenyi, Principal Judge at the EACJ is quoted as saying by the newspaper.
Mr Mabirizi moved to the Arusha-based court to contest the amendment of the constitution by the Ugandan parliament, which saw President Museveni’s signing of a Bill into law that removed the presidential age limit of 75 years.
President Museveni, 73, is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders having ruled Uganda for 34 years. He has said he will run for a sixth term in 2021 if endorsed by his National Resistance Movement party.
Uganda’s parliament voted overwhelmingly in December 2017 to scrap an age limit of 75 years for presidential candidates.
