The High Court in Kampala has
issued a temporary injunction halting the implementation of the resolution to remove Dr Samuel Odongo Oledo as the President of Uganda Medical Association .
According to the decision issued on Thursday by the head of the Civil Division of the High Court Justice Musa Ssekaana, Oledo will now remain in office until such a time when his main case challenging the legality to suspend him from office is determined .
Trouble for Oledo started about two weeks ago when he led a team of doctors at Kololo Independence Grounds at the National Resistance Movement Youth Party Symposium and endorsed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who has been in power for more than 36 for another term of office .
Oledo with dozens of other medical officers was captured in a video clip kneeling down and further thanking Museveni for enhancing the salaries of doctors in Uganda and improving their welfares.
But Oledo's act didn't go down well with some of the members of the Association, the Uganda Medical Association. They decided to resolve that he be subjected to investigations on December 6th 2022 and as a result, on December 18th 2022, they decided to impeach him and replace him with his vice Dr Edith Nakku .
Dissatisfied with the events , Oledo ran to court challenging the process taken to investigate him and also to impeach him . He argued that it was procedurally improper and done with irregularity.
In the meantime, he asked Court to grant him a temporary injunction halting the implementation of the decision to impeach him until such a time when court determines his main case challenging the process. He argued that if the injunction is not granted, he will suffer irreparable damages and that there is an imminent threat of throwing him out of office yet no form of compensation will atone to the damages that will have been caused to him.
But UMA which was listed as the only respondent through their her lawyers led by Stanley Oketcho asked the Court to dismiss Oledo's application on grounds that the application for temporary injunction has been overtaken by events since he was already impeached on Sunday.
However in his ruling , Civil Division Judge Musa Ssekaana has today agreed with Dr Oledo and granted his prayers.
."In the result for the reasons stated herein above this application succeeds: A temporary injunction issues restraining the respondent, her agents or employees and any other persons claiming under her from implementation of resolutions dated 6th December, 2022 and this court stays whatever was done on 18th December 2022 until the main cause is disposed of. The costs shall be in the cause. I so order", ruled Ssekaana.
Speaking to Our Reporter after the decision, Oledo who was in company of his lawyers has welcomed the decision adding that he is still the UMA President.
" I was voted for UMA presidency in broad daylight without hiding my political affiliations as an NRM candidate, I led a team of doctors in a peaceful strike while expressing to government about doctor's poor welfare and salaries and we knelt before police but none came out to say I knelt down however having advocated for the best of doctors in Uganda, this is a form of payment am receiving by trashing me because of being NRM and kneeling down to thank the person who increased doctor's salaries," it is impossible Oledo said.
He included, using a Luganda word "Kawuukumi" meaning bean weavil, that there is just a few opposition who he termed as Kawuukumi, trying to dismantle the success and progress of the Uganda Medical Association and urged all doctors to team up by working together to isolate the bean weavles since doctors have witnessed how possible it is for doctors profession in Uganda to shine under the leadership the current government.
"I have called my Secretary and she is waiting for me outside the door with my office keys therefore soon as I set off from here, I have to occupy my office because I have alot of work to offer for doctors in Uganda," said Oledo.
On his part, Elvis Ssemuyaba , Oledo's Lawyer has described the decisions leading to the suspension of his client to to have been improper , illegal and arrived at through bias because Dr. Oledo was not given a right fair hearing.
He explained that this therefore led to the filing of an application for judicial review in court that the decisions needed to be reviewed because of being illegal and not giving a fair hearing to one party.
The evidence before Court shows that a President of UMA is supposed to be in office for two years .
By Benjamin Mwibo
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