Ssemakadde goes overboard, says ex-deputy AG Rukutana

KAMPALA - Former Deputy Attorney General (AG) Mwesigwa Rukutana has said the embattled Uganda Law Society (ULS) president Isaac Ssemakadde goes overboard.

He told New Vision in an interview that a leader at that level should act with the utmost decorum and not use abusive language.

“Ssemakadde goes overboard, a leader at that level of ULS should have a particular decorum which respects the bench, members of society and whoever he is dealing with,” he said.

Rukutana, who is also a seasoned lawyer, Ssemakadde can express his feelings and dissent but in a sober manner.

“You don’t need to be abusive, confrontational or use uncouth words,” he emphasised.
On Wednesday (March 19), the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s court issued an order directing the International Criminal Police Organization to arrest Ssemakadde after he allegedly went into hiding after being sentenced to a two-year jail term for contempt of court last month.

Former Deputy Attorney General (AG) Mwesigwa Rukutana

The chief magistrate, Ronald Kayizzi, issued the order to bring Ssemakadde back home to face trial on charges of insulting the modesty of a woman, particularly the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo.

He issued the orders on Wednesday (March 19) during the hearing of the case.
Ssemakadde has, however, issued a statement challenging “all arrest warrants issued against me, as they are unjustified and politically motivated”.

He argued that the warrant was unwarranted and violates his right to freedom of expression, freedom of movement, and international law standards for issuing warrants.

The ULS leader, who describes himself as a ‘legal rebel’, defied some critics who argued that lawyers should not have dreadlocks.