“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky, from The House of the Dead
In a landmark public interest litigation, the Constitutional Court of Uganda has clarified that long-term sentences exceeding twenty years are unconstitutional.
Furthermore, convicts sentenced to life imprisonment are entitled to remission (reduction of the time to stay in prison) for good behaviour contrary to prior Court decisions disallowing this privilege.
The famous Ugandan Supreme Court cases of Attorney General vs Susan Kigula & 417 Others and Tigo Stephen vs Uganda have been clarified, hopefully resolving an injustice in Uganda’s sentencing and penal law.
Silver Kayondo, Eron Kiiza, Joselyne Kengonzi and Kay Carol Achak represented the Petitioners on pro bono basis.
Download the full judgment via this link: https://silverkayondo.com/02122022-sundya-muhamudu-563-ors-v-attorney-general-constitutional-petition-no-0024-of-2019/
As a dual-trained Ugandan and South African lawyer, my focus is on assisting businesses, innovators and investors in shaping the trajectory of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on the African continent, by deploying the skills, knowledge and experience accrued over time.