Exiled Uganda Law Society president Isaac Kimaze Ssemakadde has rubbished the proposal presented by the Deputy Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija to appoint former Deputy Chief Justice Richard Butera to led mediations between him and his enemies
The proposal resulted from a heated meeting chaired by Justice Zeija in his chambers at the Court of Appeal aimed at resolving the misunderstanding between him and the Uganda law society leadership.
Justice Zeija summoned the meeting after embattled ULS boss Ssemakadde threatened to command lawyers to raid his chambers to force him to re-instate to the cause list their appeal challenging the decisions of the High Court including stopping lawyers from electing their representatives to the Judicial Service Commission.
Another appeal which was removed from the cause list was that where Ssemakadde as challenging the decision of Justice Musa Ssekaana to sentence him to two years imprisonment on contempt of court charges without hearing his side.
In the meeting which took place last week, the Law Society delegation which was led by their association vice president Anthony Asiimwe, justice Zeija defended his decision explaining that allowing their appeal to be heard without conferencing was creating a bad precedent which would put the judiciary in bad light.
Justice Zeija further defended the decision by the registrar of the Court of Appeal Allen Owembabazi Rukundo who wrote to the Law Society informing them that their matter was forwarded to a panel of three justices in error since they did not conference. He asked them to first conference over the matter.
Rukundo insist that their matter which was before a panel of justices led by Justice Martin Engonda Ntende, Justice Eva Luswata and Justice Esta Nambayo was not going to be heard. As a result, the lawyers petitioned Justice Zeija for intervention but to their shock, he also supported the decision of the justices.
Justice Zeija told the meeting that Rukundo admitted her mistake and forwarded the said file to the panel adding that he was also shocked to see their appeal of 2024 on the cause list yet there are appeals of ten years back.
He explained that one of the mechanisms he put in place to fight case backlog at the Court of Appeal was to first hear the old cases. He advised the delegation to take his proposal of solving their matter through mediation.
He proposed the name of former deputy chief justice Richard Butera to lead the mediations especially between the Uganda law society and their members who include Phiona Wall Nabasa the former law society president and Hashim Mugisha who dragged them to Court.
Nabasa petitioned Court challenging the decision of the law society election body to dismiss her from the race to represent lawyers at the Judicial Service Commission.
Mugisha is also challenging the way Ssemakadde and other law society bosses suspended Phillip Munabi and Geoffrey Turyamusiima from the association leadership.
Dr Zeija according to sources assured Asiimwe and other leaders that once they accept the mediation deal, he was also going to make sure that the issue of Justice Ssekaana’s decision of imprisoning Ssemakadde is also solved very first.
However, Asiimwe noted that he cannot take a decision on such a serious issue and asked for more time to first consult his boss who is a fugitive in exile.
When contacted, Ssemakadde as usual banged the tables rubbishing Zeija’s proposals.
He insisted that Zeija was playing tricks on behalf of his bosses who are frustrating his legal struggles to get justice through courts of law.
Ssemakadde wondered why his appeal against Ssekaana’s decision was removed from the cause list when Justice Zeija knows very well that he is in exile because of that ruling given that his enemies want him imprisoned if he steps foot on Ugandan soil.
He maintained that he will only allow mediations once his appeal is cause listed.
When the parties appeared for mediations, the law society lawyers were absent and the matter was adjourned to September 2025 to determine whether the file should be forwarded to the panel or not.
The development comes at a time when counsel Elly Karuhanga, a senior lawyer who is a good friend to President Museveni, pleaded with the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao to do whatever he can in his capacity to save Ssemakadde from dying in exile or in prison.
Mao assured the top lawyer that he will do his best to execute the assignment even though he warned that it will not be easy because of the big individuals Ssemakadde annoyed.
Among those Ssemakadde annoyed include; the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, the Chief Justice Owiny Dollo, the Director of Public Prosecution Justice Jane Francis Abodo and Justice Ssekaana.
The lawyers he angered include; Joshua Byamazima and Tonny Tumukunde who instituted a private prosecution case against him which resulted in Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi issuing an International Arresting Warrant against him directing Interpol to arrest him on sight.
