Simon Peter Jamba the spokesperson of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has confirmed that his boss Norbert Mao has signed a Statutory Instrument aimed at saving Justice Lydia Mugambe Ssali from rotting in United Kingdom (UK) prison.
This website has established that Mao signed Statutory Instrument No. 37 of 2025 for the transfer of convicted offenders between Uganda and United Kingdom on 3rd of April 2025 and gazetted on the 14th day of April the same year when the two countries formally established a legal framework to transfer convicted individuals.
Sources claim that Justice Mugambe is among the beneficiary.
Justice Mugambe is waiting for her prison sentence after being found guilty of modern slavery charges by the Oxford Crown Court in United Kingdom for illegally bringing a housemaid to the said foreign country from Uganda and refusing to pay her for her services.
More Read
According to the laws of United Kingdom, the former judge of the Civil Division of the High Court Kampala is likely to face a life imprisonment sentence.
However, according to the deal signed by both countries, whatever sentence that Justice Mugambe will get, she is likely to serve her sentence in Uganda a move which was welcomed by members of her family and friends especially in the legal fraternity.
Justice Mugambe (49) travelled to United Kingdom in 2023 to pursue her Doctorate in Law at the University of Oxford but she was arrested in August 2024 and charged
Immediately after being formally charged and denied the charges, Chief Justice Owiny Dollo assured Ugandans that he was going to pick up the matter and involve officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President to make sure that Justice Mugambe was saved.
Before being taken to the dock to face the presiding judge, a tearful Justice Mugambe pleaded with detectives handling her file to allow her to privately talk to the presiding judge because she had serious issues to discuss but they denied her that opportunity.
“Even though she was denied the opportunity to talk to the presiding judicial officer, she wrote a letter to the president who recommended her to be appointed by the United Nations to the International Residual Mechanism of International Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), well enough the president received her letter and promised to do whatever was in his capacity as a head of state to save her,” a highly placed State House source said.
This website has also established that after being charged, the United Nations denounced her which resulted in the deportation of her children who were studying in the United Kingdom and her husband Mark Ssali, a celebrated veteran sports journalist.
State House sources revealed that Museveni instructed his blue eyed boy and one of his chief handlers Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka to lead the process of saving Justice Mugambe and he has been frequently briefing him on the process.
The Chief Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Mao and the United Kingdom foreign office represented by their High Commissioner at Kampala have all been involved in the negotiations which yielded fruits early this week.
Sources added that Museveni is relieved after saving a relative of his long term friend late professor Charles Ssali Lwanga Kabalu who was a lecturer at Makerere university and who helped his armed struggle until he took power in 1986.
This website has further established that even though Justice Mugambe was seen as a liberal judge who always determined cases against Museveni’s government, she has always played her cards right to stay in good books with Museveni given that the two personally know each other.
Some of Mugambe’s controversial orders include: One she issued against the Attorney General during the impeachment of Kampala city Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago, she also stopped judicial officers especially Magistrates from issuing Orders baring Court reporters from covering courts proceedings because witnesses were testifying on sensitive security matters in Courts.
When she was appointed to the United Nations Tribunal, Justice Mugambe told this writer, ” I was called about it (appointment). The news has come during difficult circumstances for me but it’s great news and a great opportunity for me to return to the UN system and serve my country,” Justice Mugambe made the statement while mourning the death of her father.
Justice Mugambe was serving on the International court which was established by the United Nations Security Council in 2010 to perform functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia president and she was going to serve on the international court for four years. Upon completion, her term could be extended through re-appointed by the United Nations Secretary General upon consultation with the president of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Justice Mugambe previously served as a lead counsel at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania on the recommendation of President Museveni.
By the time of her appointment, Justice Mugambe was attached to the Family Division of the High Court even though she was on sabbatical leave without showing when the leave was ending.
Highly placed sources have intimated to this website that Justice Mugambe was pursuing her Phd degree in the United Kingdom on the advice of the president after establishing that her life was in danger after she started receiving threats to her life.
Sources added that the threats to justice Mugambe’s life started when rumours made round that she was appointed as the Inspector General of Government (IGG) replacing justice Irane Mulyagonja who was appointed as judge of the Court of Appeal also doubles as the Constitutional Court.
Instead, President Museveni announced former Lands senior minister Beti Namisango Kamya as the new IGG.
Justice Mugambe’s immediate family members advised her to leave the country and briefly stay with other family members in the United Kingdom.
“She reported the matter to the president and he promised to solve her problem and ordered that her security be beefed up with army commandos, but the threats continued and she was advised by the family members to first excuse herself and go to UK where some of her family members stay. The husband also joined her after he lost his job with defunct Uganda National Road Authority (UNRA) where he was working as the public relations officer before Speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among offered him a job in the public relations and corporate department of the parliament.
Even though Justice Mugambe was loved by many who include: Kampala Lord Mayor Lukwago, journalists especially senior court reporters, suspects on the late police spokesperson AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi because she ordered for their release on account that their human rights were violated during the time of their arrest and while in detention, she was hated by former Attorney General late Peter Nyombi and late Bob Kasango who was a law classmate at law school Makerere University.
Sources also cited that justice Mugambe’s troubles might have been fuelled by her tormentors back home with allegations that it was the reason why she wanted to meet the British presiding officer in her case to explain to her but she was denied the opportunity.
Justice Mugambe fled the country fearing that she might end up like former Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Joan Namazzi Kagezi who was murdered at the time when she was looking for President Museveni to report to him suspected people who wanted to kill her.
By the time of her death, Kagezi was the leading prosecutor in the famous 2010 Lugogo, Kabalaga bomb trial which was presided over by then High Court judge Owiny Dollo the current Chief Justice.
