Kampala, Uganda: Uganda Law Society (ULS) President, Mr Ssemakadde Isaac, has unapologetically turned down an appointment to the Law Reform Committee by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, accusing the judiciary of “tyranny, provocation, and corruption”, among others.
In a scathing public letter dated June 17, 2025, Ssemakadde said he could not accept to serve on the committee under the prevailing conditions of “judicial misconduct and systemic decay,” arguing that CJ Dollo had eroded public trust in the judiciary and failed to address grievances raised by the legal fraternity.
“I acknowledge receipt of the instrument of appointment dated May 19, 2025, wherein you appointed me as a member of the Law Reform Committee. I refuse the appointment,” the Radical New Bar President wrote, citing what he called “egregious judicial misconduct” by Judge Musa Ssekaana and a hostile working relationship fostered by the Chief Justice himself.
Ssemakadde criticized the Chief Justice’s handling of dissent, referencing the Constitutional Court’s 2006 judgment in Andrew Mwenda & EAMI v Attorney General, which upheld the public’s right to criticize judicial officers as essential to accountability.
He further accused Owiny-Dollo of ignoring a ULS request for a consultative meeting in January, instead retaliating by excluding him from the opening of the New Law Year and declaring the Bar “unwelcome.”
“Had you accepted our request, Mr. Chief Justice, our justice sector would probably be back on track by now, rather than veering into further turmoil,” he wrote.
Ssemakadde also referred to an ongoing lawyers’ strike in Masaka, where a single judge and registrar handle a backlog of 4,290 cases, as symptomatic of a “justice denied through delay” crisis. He described the lack of judges as both a quantitative and qualitative failure in judicial deployment.
Contempt Order and Call for Reform
Citing a contempt of court order issued against him by Judge Ssekaana in February 2025, over comments he allegedly made on X (formerly Twitter), Ssemakadde said he had been forced into “indefinite exile” due to the judiciary’s weaponization of colonial-era contempt laws.
He, therefore, called for the Law Reform Committee’s first task to be the review of contempt of court laws, especially the offense of “scandalizing the judiciary.”
On the rampant corruption, bribery, and fragile egos, Ssemakadde, while quoting a 2021 report by the Inspectorate of Government, noted that court users paid UGX 763 billion in bribes, amounting to 43% of the entire 2019 justice sector budget.
He slammed the judiciary’s “hypersensitivity to criticism” and its failure to reform despite overwhelming evidence of public dissatisfaction.
Going forward, the ULS President reiterated to the Chief Justice that his Vice President, Mr Asiimwe Anthony, had been delegated to represent the Society on all judiciary-related committees since December 2024 and should be appointed in his place.
“I recommend Mr Asiimwe for appointment to the Law Reform Committee in my place. I am confident in his ability to make a meaningful contribution to this important cause. Therefore, I unapologetically decline the appointment,” he concluded.
Tensions between Ssemakadde and CJ Dollo
Tensions between the ULS President, Isaac Ssemakadde, and the Judiciary began shortly after he assumed office in 2024. The row would further escalate publicly during the opening of the New Law Year in February 2025, when Ssemakadde dramatically interrupted Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo’s speech, demanding to address the legal fraternity in attendance.
The Chief Justice declined his request, insisting Ssemakadde first apologise for what he termed as vulgar and defamatory language directed at members of the Judiciary on social media, most notably against Court of Appeal Justice Musa Ssekaana.
In protest, Ssemakadde stormed out of the ceremony, followed by a group of supportive lawyers.
Speaking to journalists shortly after, Ssemakadde declared he had no intention of apologising and remained “unapologetic.”
Days later, Justice Ssekaana sentenced him to two years in prison for contempt of court. However, by that time, Ssemakadde had already fled the country and has since remained in self-imposed exile.
In another twist of developments, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court issued an international arrest warrant against him in a case where he is accused of indecent assault against the Director of Public Prosecutions, Justice Jane Frances Abodo.
Speaking to the media earlier this week, Ssemakadde, who once campaigned under the slogan “Bang the Table,” claimed that a total of 17 arrest warrants have so far been issued against him.
The protracted standoff between Ssemakadde and Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo has exposed deep cracks in Uganda’s justice sector, pitting the Lawyers’ body against a judiciary accused of intolerance and selective enforcement.
While Ssemakadde remains in self-imposed exile under multiple warrants and awaits the Law Reform Committee’s first meeting, all eyes will be on whether Owiny-Dollo’s court will act on calls for greater transparency, a review of contempt laws, and dialogue with the legal fraternity. Ultimately, the manner in which both sides navigate this clash could set a lasting precedent for judicial accountability and the independence of Uganda’s legal institutions.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative anews platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp for realtime updates.
