Justice Steven Kavuma, Uganda’s second most senior judge, is trending on the social media sites Twitter and Facebook.
Insider judicial sources who say the deputy chief justice has sworn an affidavit contesting his birthday and current age of 69, which would make him a candidate for retirement in September next year under Ugandan law. That’s nine months from now.
If the judiciary accepts Justice Kavuma’s affidavit, he will keep his job for another four years. One respondent to the story tweeted: “Justice Kavuma at it again” while another wrote: “I always wonder what Justice Kavuma is made of”.
Many have in the past criticized Mr Kavuma’s alleged closeness to the ruling government.
Without giving any further details, when he was asked on Monday via telephone he did confirm that he had indeed sworn an affidavit to change his birthday which is September 29, 1948. He wants court to rule that he is actually 4 years younger.
Though he is nearing retirement, Kavuma’s appointment as deputy chief justice is still under legal challenge in the Supreme court. On March 20, 2015, Gerald Karuhanga, the Ntungamo municipality MP and city advocate Eron Kiiza challenged Kavuma’s appointment on grounds that the Judicial Service Commission, which by law picks judicial nominees, did not nominate and recommend Justice Kavuma for appointment by President Museveni as deputy CJ.
Moses Atocon Atyekwo on facebook said: for example let us work this out logically;
One begins to attend school in between 6 to 7 years of age. That is primary one class, so if we have to go by his explanation then Justice Kavuma started schooling while he was 2 years of age.
He begins school at 2 years.
It takes 7 years in primary level he is 9 years now.
It takes 6 six years to complete senior secondary he is 15 years now.
Doing a law course in total takes 5 years, he is now a graduate at 20 years of age.
Ok let us forget that has an exception, let us work it that he started school while he was 10 years of age and we adjust his actual age to 6 years.
Hon. Justice Kavuma was born on 29\September 1948, and attended Kamanya (now Bunamwaya) Primary School in Wakiso District (1960); Mengo Junior School; Mengo Senior Secondary School; Nyakasura School (1969). He then joined Makerere University, Kampala from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honors in 1974, and attained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Center in 1975.
He is also a\r\nholder of a certificate in Project Planning and Management (1997), certificate Computer Applications (2002), and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies from Makerere\r\nUniversity.
His professional career began in 1975 as State Attorney in the Attorney General’s Chambers (Solicitor General’s Department), from where he was seconded to head the Legal Department of the National Insurance Corporation, rising into the position of Corporation Secret.
