A civilian has taken legal action against the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) for failing to publish and gazette the Human Rights Enforcement Act, 2019, nine months after being assented to law by the President.

The President assented it into law on March 31st, 2019.

James Mubiru has an application against UPPC compelling it to publish and gazette the Act.

According to James Mubiru, failure by the UPPC to publish the Human Rights Enforcement Act excludes it from implementation to the benefit of Ugandans.

Mubiru notes that the government printer and its officials have no justification for not printing and publishing the human rights law.

Mubiru explains that the Human Rights Act permits citizens to stay alert and impose their personal freedom and rights, for example, a right to liberty from brutal arrests, torture while in detention, detention beyond the obligatory 48 hours before court among others.

Mubiru also blamed parliament for being sluggish in this regard.  The civilian says had it been published, it would make it easier for human rights activists to petition the court on behalf of those violated.

Mubiru says hindering the gazette of the law means, anyone who wants to petition court basing on such a law cannot proceed with the same. He is now in search of a pronouncement from the court that failure by the UPPC to publish the said Act is unlawful.

He also wants the court to order UPPC to pay costs for the case.