Mbabazi, Kutesa, 21 others honoured

Respected. Senior Counsel title recipients with other officials in Kampala last week . PHOTO BY ANTHONY WESAKA

What you need to know:

  • Outstanding. Those honoured were former Attorney Generals, past law society presidents and outstanding veteran lawyers.

Kampala. Former prime minister Patrick Amama Mbabazi and Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kutesa alongside 21 other people, have been honoured with the highest title in the legal fraternity.

The title - Senior Council - had been in limbo for more than 20 years (since 1996) and has been revived by the president of the Uganda Law Society (ULS), Mr Francis Gimara, basing on the Statutory Instrument 2018 No.6 under the Advocates (Senior Counsel) Regulations, 2018.

The last lawyer to be bestowed the honours was the current Chief Justice Bart Katureebe in 1996 when he was the Attorney General.
Mr Mbabazi and minister Kutesa, were honoured by virtue of being past Attorney Generals.

The current Attorney General, Mr William Byaruhanga, was also honoured by the Committee on Senior Counsel last week in Kampala.
The other past Attorney Generals who were honoured are; Fred Ruhindi (from 2015-16), Khiddu Makubuya (from 2005 to 11), Godfrey Lule, one of the founding partner in Sebalu & Lule Advocates and Mr Mugerwa Nkambo.
The former Attorney General, Mr Peter Nyombi, was - without explanation - not given the honours.

However, sources within the legal circles told this newspaper yesterday that since the decison could have been taken following Mr Nyombi’s battered image while in office. At one time, the ULS issued him with a “certificate of incompetence”, casting his tenure in bad light.
The lawyers also pulled the plug on Mr Nyombi for his controversial legal opinions he gave to President Museveni in re-appointing former Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki to the top office despite having clocked the retirement age of 70.

Mr Nyombi was also faulted for advising MPs to approve the late Gen Aronda Nyakairima as Internal Affairs minister without retiring from the army as required by the law.

Catagories

Outstanding. Those honoured were former Attorney Generals, past law society presidents and outstanding veteran lawyers.