Dozens of lawyers have stormed the High Court in Kampala to follow up the case in which two of the members of their umbrella association Uganda Law Society-ULS, are challenging the decision by their President Isaac Ssemakadde to expel Attorney General and the Solicitor General as representatives from the Uganda Law Society-ULS Council.
Lawyers Tony Tumukunde and Joshua Byamazima sued their president challenging the Executive Order issued by Ssemakadde on 14th October 2024 expelling the Solicitor General and the Attorney General from the ten-member Council where they were ex officio members.
Following the decision, both Tumukunde and Byamazima want High Court to quash the said decision on grounds that it was unlawful
They claim that expulsion of Attorney General and Solicitor General disrupts the lawful composition of the council as prescribed by the ULS Act. They noted that the continued explosion will diminish the legitimacy of the decisions made by the Council affecting the entire membership which cannot be adequately compensated by damages.
In his order, Ssemakadde expelled Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka from the ULS Council citing a string of allegations against him including professional misconduct and conflict of interest.
Dozens of other members of the society appeared to follow up the proceedings, majority of whom were in support of Ssemakadde and his decision to expel the Attorney General.
Lawyer Nalukoola Luyimbazi, a member of the bar said if the Attorney General feels that he has interest in this matter, let him appear in court in person instead of sending what he described as his agents.
Byamukama said that ULS cannot be independent when the Attorney General wants to control it. He appealed to the general public to treat this as a doctrinal fight but not an individual fight between Ssemakadde and the Attorney General.
Report by: Betty Zziwa
