Court stops Law Society meeting
Mr Isaac Ssemakadde gives his speech moments after being declared winner of the Uganda Law Society (ULS) presidential elections in Kampala on September 28, 2024. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- The prohibition orders will stay in place until the main cases that have been filed before the court challenging the process that was leading to the election of the two representatives to the JSC are determined.
The High Court in Kampala last evening temporarily halted the extraordinary general meeting for the Uganda Law Society (ULS) in which they were to resolve emerging issues including voting for two representatives to the Judicial Servise Commission (JSC).
The prohibition orders that were issued by the head of the Civil Division of the High Court Musa Ssekaana, will stay in place until the main cases that have been filed before the court challenging the process that was leading to the election of the two representatives to the JSC are determined.
“In the result for the reasons stated above, the joint applications succeeded and the costs shall be in the course. The court grants the following orders; a temporary injunction order doth issue restraining the 1st (Uganda Law Society) and 2nd (Mr Moses Mwase, the electoral commission chairman of Law Society) respondents from implementing a purported Council decision dated 24th of November 2024 and or convening the extraordinary general meeting on 17th December, 2024 until the final disposal of miscellaneous cause no. 1243 of 2024,” ruled the judge.
Adding: “A temporary injunction doth issues restraining the respondents, its agents, servants or representatives from holding elections for its representatives to the Judicial Service Commission at the extraordinary general meeting thereafter, pending the determination of the main case.”
The Law Society under the leadership of Isaac Ssemakadde was in high gear to hold the general meeting on Tuesday next in Entebbe to among others vote for the two representatives to the Judicial Service Commission and also cement the firing of the secretary to the council and Mr Phillip Munabi and Mr Geoffrey Turyamusiima as the Council member representing the central region on the Law Society Council.
Mr Munabi and Mr Turyamusiima had been suspended from holding their respective positions after a failed attempt to expel president Ssemakadde and his vice president Anthony Asiimwe at the height of their leadership differences.
“A mandatory injunction order doth issue restoring the 3rd respondent as secretary and council member for the 1st respondent until the final disposal of miscellaneous cause no. 1243 of 2024,” Justice Ssekaana ruled.
He added: “A mandatory injunction order doth issue restoring Turyamusiima Geoffrey as the Council member of the 1st respondent until the final disposal of miscellaneous cause 1243 of 2024. It is so ordered.”
In the run-up to now canceled Tuesday elections, Mr Ssemakadde had run a list of lawyers cleared to contest to represent the Uganda Law Society to the Judicial Service Commission. The list didn’t have the name of Pheona Nabasa Wall, one of the former presidents of the Law Society.
President Ssemakadde had publicly rejected her nomination citing issues with her past leadership.
It was against this backdrop that Ms Wall ran to the court, seeking protection for alleged unfair rejection from being included on the final list of nominated candidates.
She claimed that the moment she declared her interest in joining the race of candidates to represent the Law Society to the Judicial Service Commission, president Ssemakadde started personal attacks against her on social media and yet he is supposed to be neutral in the whole process.
In her application before the court, Ms Wall stated: “ To my dismay on the 3rd December 2024, the president of the 1st respondent which is is the appointi authority of the Elections Committee led by the 2nd respondent, circulated a list of the nominated candidates bearing the signature of the 2nd respondent. This list didn't include my name."
Adding: "...In the said X post, the first respondent's president (Mr Ssemakadde) wrote: "@pheonawall, ear bog". In yet another post, he wrote "its over bitch".
But the law society in its response, had argued that Ms Wall didn't qualify for the nomination because she didn't have the required 15 years experience as an advocate.
"On Tuesday 3rd December, 2024, the applicant (Ms Wall) was given a nomination certificate by the Elections Committee but she was excluded from the final list of the nominated candidates once it wad established that she did not qualify in law and the said certificate had been issued in error." The Law Society responded.
