As he cleans his table to prepare for the new task at the Court of Appeal which also doubles as the Constitutional Court, Justice Musa Ssekaana jokingly told his staff in the corridors of the Civil Division of the High Court that, “Munemeseza Civil Division yange, let me leave you alone to enjoy.”
Sources close to Justice Ssekaana told us that the wise man from Kyanamukaka in Masaka district was not joking but meant his statement insisting that he was not happy with the promotions made by president Museveni early this month.
“What I can tell you is the man was shocked, he did not expect to be promoted because he didn’t apply when the Judicial Service Commission advertised vacancies at the Court of Appeal,” a source said.
Another source at the Judicial Service Commission also confirmed that justice Ssekaana didn’t apply to be promoted to Court of Appeal but the president, working on the guidance of the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka might have picked Ssekaana’s name from the list of those who applied for the slots previous because he once applied to be promoted to Court of Appeal and was not promoted.
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Another source in the judiciary told this website that justice Ssekaana and other judges might have been added on the list of those recommended by the Judicial Service Commission after realising that the judiciary has the budget to cater for them.
Justice Ssekaana who has been the Head of the Civil Division of the High Court Kampala and his next target was the office of the Principle Judge where he wanted to head of all High Court Judges because he was very sure that Justice Dr Flavian Zeija was going to be promoted and be appointed the Deputy Chief Justice or Chief Justice.
Dr. Zeija was appointed Deputy Chief Justice.
“Now the office of the Principle Judge is vacant and Justice Lawrance Gidudu being the senior judge at the High Court is occupying it in acting capacity since Justice Zeija was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Justice before the President in State House Entebbe. I don’t know whether Justice Ssekaana will apply to replace his good friend Justice Zeija but I know Justice Gidudu, Justice Duncan Gaswaga and Justice Steven Mubiru are likely to compete for that office,” a source said.
He added that Justice Ssekaana is going to miss the Civil Division because he has been wielding a lot of power especially when it came to allocating court files and determining cases alone which is not the case at the Court of Appeal because the decision has to be taken by more than three justices.
However, other sources claim that Ssekaana being a blue eyed boy to Chief Justice Owiny Dollo, Attorney General Kiwanuka, they might be preparing him for a big office like being appointed Deputy Chief Justice if Dr Zeija is appointed Chief Justice before January 2026 when Justice Dollo retires from the Public Service.
Before his retirement, former Principal Judge Welcome Bamwine transferred Justice Ssekaana from the Civil Division to Mbarara Resident High Court but he didn’t report to the new station because a few weeks later, his transfer was reversed by Justice Zeija after taking office as the Principal Judge in 2019.
Since Justice Ssekaana was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2018, he has only served at the High Court Civil Division and has never been transferred.
Justice Ssekaana is a household name in many homes in Uganda and entire world because of his controversial decisions like imprisoning maverick lawyer Kassim Male Mabirizi to 18 months and his friend Isaac Ssemakadde the president of the Uganda Law Society who was recently imprisoned for two years on the offences of contempt of court the same offence he used to convict Mabirizi.
