A concerned Ugandan has dragged seven lawyers of former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine to the Law Council accusing them of professional misconduct. 

The lawyers include Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Medard Sseggona, Anthony Wameli, Asuman Basalirwa, Shamim Malende, Abdallah Kiwanuka, and Muwada Nkunyingi. 

In his petition dated March 1, Richard Job Matua claims that the lawyers made utterances on various television and radio talk-shows in which they purportedly denigrated the integrity of the Judiciary.

Matua is a senior member of the National Patriotism Corps-Uganda. 

“They misled their client (Kyagulanyi) and some section of the public to believe that our courts are not independent. If we don’t defend the independence of the Judiciary, then we are headed for anarchy as some people could end up taking the law into their hands,” Mutua contends. 

Mutua argues that the lawyers misled Kyagulanyi into making several ridiculous utterances such as calling Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo the ‘Chief Injustice’. 

“These dirty, unprofessional and dangerous utterances have led to serious public disrespect of the court and in particular the Supreme Court justices with many mimicking the judges in the amorphous court of the people,” Mutua contends. 

Asked what has motivated him to take the lawyers to the Law Council, Mutua said, “Leaving these grave misconducts of members of the bar has far reaching consequences in the stability of this country.” 

Mutua argues that the utterances which were allegedly made by the lawyers undermine public confidence in the Judiciary and wants the lawyers reprimanded. 

Mutua argues that the lawyers have failed to separate law and politics.

“There is a great difference between advocates and politicians which I believe the said lawyers have failed to recognise,” Mutua contends.  

The Uganda Law Council is established by Section 2 of the Advocates Act Chapter 267 (as amended by Act 27 of 2002) as the overall Regulatory body of the Legal Profession in Uganda.  It has powers to dismiss lawyers found guilty of professional misconduct.  

Efforts to get a comment from any of the said lawyers proved futile as the various calls made to their known cell phones went unanswered.