The Uganda Law Society (ULS) staged a dramatic walkout from the 2025 New Law Year event, following a contentious standoff with the judiciary.
The walkout, led by ULS President Isaac K. Ssemakadde, underscored the deepening rift between the legal fraternity and the judiciary over issues of judicial accountability, selective justice, and repression of dissent.
Tensions came to a head after Ssemakadde’s speech, which was originally scheduled to be delivered at the event, was inexplicably removed from the program by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo.
The exclusion was perceived as an attempt to silence critical voices within the legal community, prompting an immediate and forceful reaction from the ULS.
“This is a time of reckoning,” Ssemakadde declared in his speech, which was later released to the public.
“The judiciary cannot insulate itself from the realities of the country. The courts exist not to be praised but to serve.”
In his address, Ssemakadde condemned what he described as an increasing pattern of judicial aggression against the Bar and the Ugandan people.
He cited cases of injudicious verdicts, the misuse of contempt powers to stifle criticism, and the imprisonment of individuals like Ivan Ssebaduka for merely expressing opinions about the judiciary.
The speech also celebrated a recent Supreme Court ruling declaring the trial of civilians in the General Court Martial unconstitutional, while simultaneously criticizing the judiciary’s continued failings, particularly in the arbitrary use of imprisonment as a tool of oppression.
The decision to remove Ssemakadde from the event’s program was met with outrage by ULS members, who swiftly decided to walk out in protest.
Witnesses reported that the mass exit of lawyers and legal professionals from the event left a visible void in the gathering, sending a strong message to the judiciary and the government.
“The judiciary must embrace scrutiny, not criminalize it,” Ssemakadde asserted. “The Radical New Bar will not be silenced. We are here to hold power accountable.”
Legal analysts believe this unprecedented walkout signals a turning point in the relationship between the Bar and the Bench, with the ULS taking a more confrontational stance against what it sees as judicial overreach and executive interference.
The Chief Justice’s office has yet to issue an official statement addressing the ULS walkout, but sources indicate growing unease within judicial circles over the mounting criticism.
Meanwhile, the ULS has vowed to continue its campaign for judicial reforms and increased transparency within the courts.
With the legal fraternity now firmly at odds with the judiciary, Uganda’s justice system faces mounting pressure to address long-standing grievances.
Whether this protest will lead to meaningful reforms remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Uganda Law Society has drawn a line in the sand, and it is unwilling to back down.
