A group of six students from the Makerere Law School have gone to the High Court seeking orders to immediately re-open their University that was closed on 1st /November 2016 on directives of President Museveni.
These including Sam Ssekyewa, Moses Mushime, Francis Kibombo, Cissy Nabatanzi, Emmanuel Kanyesigye and John Robert Turyakira claim the president who has been referred to as a visitor in the plaint exceeded his legal mandate to order for the closure of Makerere Univeirsty yet such powers are vested in the University council.
The students contend that their right to Education and careers are put at stake due to the uncertainty of the opening date of their University.
Sam Ssekyewa who led these students say they have chosen to challenge the president’s directive in court inorder to enforce their abused rights and to permanently bad the visitor(President) from usurping the powers of the University council.
Museveni is jointly sued with the Attorney General who is the chief legal advisor of government. In their suit before the Nakasero based court, the petitioners contend that Museveni’s directive to close the university was unjustified, unlawful, null and void.
They fault the university council, the top administration organ of the university for failing to safe guard its autonomy by going by the directive of the President.
They argue that the indefinite closure of the university without any definite reopening date has deprived applicants and other students of their right to access higher education in a just and free democratic society.
Through their lawyers of Center for Legal Aid, the petitioners want court to declare that Museveni’s directive was unlawful. They also want court to quash the decision by Makerere University Council to enforce the directive.
