Combo: President Museveni and Uganda Law Society (ULS) president, Mr Isaac Ssemakadde. PHOTOS/ FILE
The long-standing battle between Uganda’s top legal minds—Uganda Law Society (ULS) President Isaac Ssemakadde and Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka—has reached a dramatic crescendo. Ssemakadde has penned an elaborate petition to President Museveni, outlining a litany of alleged grave illegalities committed by Kiryowa during his tenure.
In the hard-hitting letter seen by Monitor, Ssemakadde argues that Kiryowa’s actions have severely compromised the integrity of the country’s judicial system, warning that failure to remove him immediately would plunge Uganda’s legal framework into a deeper crisis.
In the seven-page letter signed on January 12, 2025, Ssemakadde reminds President Museveni of the constitutional duties entrusted to the Attorney General—responsibilities he claims Kiryowa has blatantly disregarded with impunity.
Excerpt from the Letter
"Your Excellency, I write to you pursuant to Sections 3(d), 3(e), and 3(i) of the Uganda Law Society Act, Cap. 305, which entrusts the Uganda Law Society (ULS) with the solemn duty to protect the public in all matters of law, assist the Government and Courts in legislative and legal administration, and undertake all actions necessary to uphold these objectives.
"Your Excellency, the ULS is gravely concerned about the systematic erosion of our Constitutional Democracy, a crisis fueled by the reckless conduct of the current Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General is not a mere political appointment—it is the bedrock of our legal system, the guardian of public interest, and the custodian of the rule of law. Yet, under Mr Kiryowa Kiwanuka Nsumikambi Mugambe, this sacred institution has been reduced to a mere vessel for impunity, deceit, and legal mischief.
"It is, therefore, with a deep sense of duty and urgency that I bring to Your Excellency’s attention a litany of egregious transgressions committed by Mr Kiryowa—actions so brazen that they have not only corroded the integrity of our legal order but continue to imperil the very foundation of justice in Uganda. For the sake of our nation’s constitutional sanctity, his immediate removal is not just warranted; it is imperative.”
Ssemakadde further reminded President Museveni that on October 14, 2024, under Article 274 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, international best practices for National Bar Associations, and United Nations recommendations for safeguarding the independence of the legal profession, the ULS Governing Council took a decisive stand against Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka.
Through Executive Order RNB No.1 of 2024, the ULS expelled the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, and their representatives from the Governing Council with immediate effect. Simultaneously, an investigation was launched into Kiryowa’s conduct—a move that further deepened the animosity between the two legal heavyweights.
This was yet another flashpoint in the ongoing legal feud, following the dramatic and highly publicized clashes during the ULS elections of 2024. In his petition, Ssemakadde explicitly cites the Uganda Law Society Election Interference as a critical ground for Kiryowa’s dismissal, accusing him of brazen corruption and abuse of office to manipulate the electoral process.
"He misappropriated Shs1.2 billion of public funds to influence the 2024 Uganda Law Society elections. He paid a bribe of Shs200 million to one of the presidential candidates to withdraw from the race.”
Ssemakadde presents these damning allegations as evidence of Kiryowa’s unfitness for office, insisting that his removal is not just a legal necessity but a moral imperative to salvage Uganda’s legal integrity.
He accuses the Attorney General of orchestrating a grand corruption scheme within the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB), turning what should have been legal stewardship of repossessed properties into a personal empire of self-enrichment.
"Your Excellency, below, I present a summary of the evidence within our possession, which cannot be dismissed as isolated incidents of corruption. Rather, they reveal a systematic and deliberate effort to transform the Office of the Attorney General into a personal fiefdom for corruption and self-enrichment.”
Ssemakadde highlights what he describes as Kiryowa’s leading role in the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB) scandal, accusing him of causing the government a financial loss of approximately Shs100 trillion. He claims that Kiryowa personally signed fraudulent consent judgments, paving the way for dubious claims against the government and facilitating the illegal acquisition of over 300 DAPCB properties across Kampala, Jinja, and Mbale.
By exposing these alleged financial transgressions, Ssemakadde makes the case that Kiryowa’s continued stay in office is untenable, urging President Museveni to act decisively before Uganda’s legal and financial systems sink deeper into the abyss.
Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka. The Office of the Attorney General ruled that the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) did not have unfettered discretion over the power distributor’s investment requirements. PHOTO/FILE
Mixing private practice with the office
"Your Excellency, the Attorney General has willfully compromised the integrity of his office by entangling it with his private legal practice, creating an unchecked web of influence peddling and self-dealing. The evidence is clear:"
He remained actively involved in his private law firm, M/s. K&K Advocates, while serving as Attorney General and continued to represent private clients in matters where the Attorney General’s Chambers had direct interest.
He created a syndicate of select advocates to secure lucrative government contracts, turning legal representation into a cartel of patronage.
He deliberately violated Articles 2(2) and 113(4) of the Constitution, subverting the principles of separation of powers and public accountability.
With these accusations laid bare, Ssemakadde urges President Museveni to take urgent action, warning that failure to do so would cement corruption at the highest levels of Uganda’s legal administration.
Beyond financial misconduct, Ssemakadde paints Kiryowa as a direct threat to judicial independence, accusing him of interfering with case management and strong-arming judicial officers.
"He makes direct threats to judicial officers regarding case outcomes. He has established a network of compliant judicial officers across all levels of the judiciary—effectively creating his own judiciary within the judiciary. Through the Office of the Principal Judge, he manipulates case assignments to favor his interests. Judicial officers who refuse to take orders from him are arbitrarily transferred to frustrate their professional independence.”
In one of the most damning allegations, Ssemakadde claims that Kiryowa falsely invoked presidential authority to interfere in a high-profile South Sudan criminal case, facilitating the escape of a prisoner from Interpol custody in exchange for a USD 1 million bribe.
Another serious charge raised in the letter involves Kiryowa’s alleged manipulation of local government and parastatal autonomy:
"He stripped local governments and parastatals of their authority to procure legal services, instead restricting such services to his preferred providers, thereby creating a monopolistic control over government legal work.”
Ssemakadde concludes his letter by urging President Museveni to take immediate action, outlining a series of recommendations, including an expedited investigation by the Criminal Investigations Directorate, the Inspector General of Government, and a comprehensive review of all judgments consented to during Kiryowa’s tenure.
While it remains uncertain whether President Museveni will investigate the claims made by Ssemakadde and take action against the Attorney General, the ULS President insists that swift action will not only restore integrity to Uganda’s legal system but also begin the process of repairing the extensive damage caused to government and national institutions by Kiryowa’s alleged misconduct.
