and supply the basis of its jurisdiction through interpretation of the
Treaty and not simply by relying on the Katabazi case.(supra)
ii) that Article 6 (d) of the Treaty, which the Applicant alleges was infringed
by the Respondent, consists of aspirations and broad policy provisions
for the Community which are futuristic and progressive in application
and that it raises political questions which cannot be answered by this
Court. That the provision is not capable of being breached and,
therefore, it is not justiciable. In support of her stance, Counsel cited the
authority of a Ugandan case, Centre for Health Human Rights and
Development & 3 others versus The Attorney General of Uganda,
[Constitutional Petition No 16 of 2011], where the Constitutional
Court of Uganda declined to entertain a Petition premised on
allegations that the Government was not investing sufficiently in
maternal health services with dire consequences for women and
children, because it was political in character and concerned policy
issues.
20. Mr Mbugua Mureithi argued the case for the Applicant. In answer to the issue
of want of jurisdiction, he asserted that the Reference was properly before the
Court in accordance with Article 30 (1) of the Treaty which provides that:
“Subject to the provisions of Article 27 of this Treaty, any
person who is resident in a Partner State may refer for
determination by the Court, the legality of any Act,
regulation, directive, decision or action of a Partner State or
an institution of the Community on the grounds that such
Act, regulation, directive, decision or action is unlawful or is
an infringement of the provisions of this Treaty”.
REFERENCE NO.5 OF 2011
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