UGANDA HITS ROCK BOTTOM! Bobi Wine Reacts as Judicial Service Commission Chairperson Endorses Muhoozi for President

The chairperson of Uganda’s Judicial Service Commission, Justice Douglas Singiza Karekona, has drawn criticism from main opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Bobi Wine after endorsing first son and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for president during a meeting with officials of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

The controversy began after Michael Mawanda Maranga, PLU’s head of mobilisation, and other officials from the political organization announced that Justice Singiza had visited the Office of the National Chairman in Nakasero, where he expressed support for the political ambitions of the Chief of Defence Forces.

“This morning at the Office of the National Chairman in Nakasero, I was honoured to receive Hon. Justice Dr. Singiza Douglas Karekona, Chairperson of Uganda’s Judicial Service Commission, on a courtesy call,” Mawanda wrote.

He added: “Justice Singiza warmly endorsed Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for President of Uganda. A powerful affirmation of the vision we share for a stronger, more just nation.”

The announcement prompted a sharp response from Bobi Wine, the National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, who questioned whether the country’s justice system could command public confidence when the head of a body responsible for judicial discipline was reported to have expressed support for a political candidate.

“Uganda’s justice system hits a new low with the head of the Judicial Service Commission Singiza Douglas openly endorsing Museveni’s… son!” Bobi Wine wrote.

He argued that the reported endorsement raised questions about the commission’s ability to enforce the rules governing the conduct of judicial officers, particularly when allegations of political involvement concerned its own chairperson.

“The JSC is legally mandated to enforce the Judicial Code of Conduct, which strictly forbids judicial officers from engaging in partisan politics – both in and out of the courtroom,” he said.

“How is that body expected to discipline judicial officers who violate the Code when its very head is breaching the code with impunity?”

Bobi Wine also questioned what the development could mean for Ugandans who oppose the government and seek redress through the courts.

“How are the citizens, who are opposed to the criminal regime expected to get justice under such a system?” he asked.

He went on to refer to people he said had been abducted and violated, questioning how they could obtain justice in a system whose senior officials were associated with the political leadership they blamed.

“Those who fail to get justice after being abducted and violated by the criminal he is endorsing?!” he wrote.

The opposition leader then made a further allegation concerning Justice Singiza’s earlier career, claiming that the judicial officer had developed a reputation for dismissing or covering up serious abuses when he served as a magistrate.

“No wonder, Singiza, when he was still a magistrate he was famed for covering up the worst crimes against humanity, and reminding victims of torture,” Bobi Wine said.

He also gave a broader indictment of the country’s institutions.

“Our nation has hit rock bottom! We have a lot of work to resuscitate it!” he wrote.

The PLU moved to defend the development through David Kabanda, the executive secretary in the Office of the National Chairman and Member of Parliament for Kasambya County in Mubende District.

Responding to Bobi Wine, Kabanda disputed the suggestion that Singiza’s reported association with the organisation necessarily amounted to partisan political activity by a judicial officer.

“PLU is non-partisan, non-denominational and non-sectarian. You can check with URSB,” Kabanda wrote, referring to the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.

He added: “Comrade Singiza Douglas has just been registered as a member of PLU.”

Kabanda’s response introduced a new line to the dispute: whether the commission chairperson’s reported endorsement of Muhoozi was a personal political expression or an indication of formal involvement in an organisation that is publicly mobilising support for the general’s proposed presidential bid.

The PLU has been conducting mobilisation activities to build support for Muhoozi, the son of President Yoweri Museveni, who serves as Chief of Defence Forces and chairs the organisation. The movement’s political activities have brought renewed attention to the question of succession and the general’s reported presidential ambitions.

At the centre of the latest controversy is the role of the Judicial Service Commission, a constitutional body involved in judicial appointments and disciplinary processes. Bobi Wine’s criticism focuses on the perceived contradiction between that responsibility and the commission chairperson’s reported support for a potential presidential candidate.

For Bobi Wine, the episode represents a deeper concern about public confidence in the independence of the justice system. For PLU, Kabanda’s response frames Singiza’s membership as participation in an organisation he describes as non-partisan.

The competing positions leave the central question unresolved: whether a judicial officer entrusted with responsibilities over the conduct of the judiciary can publicly endorse a political figure without undermining confidence in the institution he leads.

The endorsement comes a day after Museveni endorsed Muhoozi for President in NRM CEC Meeting Here.