The Retired Supreme Court Justice, John Wilson Nattubu Tsekooko, is dead.
He passed away at Norvik Hospital in Kampala on Monday afternoon where he was admitted several weeks back, reports the Judiciary, adding that funeral arrangements will be communicated later.
The deceased retired from active service in 2015 and had been, a senior legal consultant with a Kampala law firm Waluku and Mooli Advocates.
He was a renowned critic of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni right from 1980 when he was meant to represent Former President Apollo Milton Obote in a defamation suit Museveni filed against the UPC leader.
At the peak of the election campaign in 1980, Obote had allegedly made remarks that suggested Museveni was not a Ugandan to qualify for election.
Museveni sued Obote for defamation and counsel Tsekooko had been instructed to defend Obote against the case. The case never took off as Obote was elected president and Museveni went to the bush to wage a guerrilla war.
Justice Tsekooko however, praised the liberalism of Museveni who after taking power appointed him Supreme Court Judge.
In 2001 and 2006, Justice Tsekooko was among the minority judges that allowed Besigye’s petition (annulled Museveni’s victory) and called for fresh elections.
Interestingly, the Justice always said that he never felt threatened by Museveni and his regime despite the decisions of ruling in favour of Kizza Besigye.
“Then after that you can see in 1990, Museveni appointed me a judge after that experience. Other people wouldn’t have appointed me even though I didn’t apply for judgeship. Definitely most people wouldn’t. Then in 1994, there was a vacancy at the Supreme Court, the Judicial Service Commission recommended me and he appointed me, so it shows he has good qualities as well,” he was quoted to have told Daily Monitor in 2016.
