Counsel Nicholas Opiyo presents a paper on the Public Order Management Bill; Tracing the path of the law

Counsel Nicholas Opiyo presents a paper on the Public Order Management Bill; Tracing the path of the law – In a detailed paper that was presented at a public debate in Kampala to set the stage for discussions, the Executive Director of Chapter Four Uganda Nicholas Opiyo traced the path of the Public Order Management Bill. He covered the starting point, the amendments in parliament and the constitutional and political implications of the law.

Nicholas noted, “The bill was also introduced in response to the Constitutional Court case of Muwanga Kivumbi v Attorney General, which declared unconstitutional the wide discretionary powers of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to prohibit the conduct of public assemblies that, in the IGP’s opinion, would cause a breach of peace.

These powers were provided for under section 32 (2) of the Police Act. In many respects, the law is viewed as an attempt to reintroduce the expunged provision of the Police Act rather than to comply with the decision of the constitutional court”

The full text of the paper as presented by Nicholas Opiyo can be accessed here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/177743499/Public-Order-Management-Bill-Opiyo-P...