Mao mediator in Uganda Law Society — Judiciary standoff

KAMPALA - Justice and constitutional affairs minister Norbert Mao is playing the mediator role between sections of the bench and the Uganda Law Society (ULS) under the leadership of Isaac Ssemakadde, who is out of the country. 

The minister made the disclosure on Tuesday (April 8) while appearing before the legal and parliamentary affairs committee chaired by Stephen Mugabi (Bukhooli North) for an engagement on the ministry’s proposals for next financial year’s budget. 

“On the question of harmony between ULS and the Judiciary. I was at the premises of the Uganda Law Society at their invitation, and some people thought I wouldn’t go. If I could go to Joseph Kony’s camp in Garamba, what is this ULS which is in Kololo, a place which doesn’t have any security threat at all? In principle, all parties agreed that mediation is the way to go,” the Justice and constitutional affairs minister revealed. 

Mao said he spoke to the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, who gave him the green light. 

“I told the Chief Justice (Owiny Dollo) and he gave his conditions. Everybody has a condition… The rest of the answers, we shall supply in writing,” he added.

His comments were triggered by Kibale County MP Richard Oseku Oriebo and his Erute South counterpart Jonathan Odur.

“There is concern about the acrimonious relationship between the ULS and the Judiciary, especially in the current leadership and to some extent it is causing a bit of discomfort for the seekers of justice. As the regulator of this profession, what have you done to harmonise the two because they need each other?” Oseku asked.

Odur said, “As we speak now, one of the statutory heads of the bar, Isaac Ssemakadde is in exile. It is something that is bothering all of us. Can’t we have, leadership on that so that one way or the other, this matter is resolved? I have now seen many lawyers who are very afraid to even speak in public or to give their opinions because they think a judicial officer will just sit, constitute himself into a court, hear the evidence from himself and others, and then convict and even issue the warrants.” 

In late February, Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi issued an international arrest warrant for Ssemakadde after he failed to appear in court over allegations of insulting the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo.
 
This was at the request of private prosecutors Tonny Tumukunde and Joshua Byamazima. Prior to that, High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana had ordered his arrest and imprisonment for two years after finding him guilty of contempt of court. 

Ssemakadde was elected overseer of the lawyers’ body late last year under polarising circumstances.

He ran a campaign vowing to dismantle systemic barriers to justice and swiftly followed through with a flurry of executive orders in which he expelled Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and Solicitor General Pius Biribonwoha from the ULS council. 

Ssemakadde argued that the duo’s ex-officio positions were outdated while citing Prof. Frederick Ssempebwa’s report in which he had recommended the removal of these positions 13 years ago.