KAMPALA. Uganda Law Society (ULS) Extra Ordinary Meeting due this afternoon has been stopped by The High Court in Kampala.

The order issued by Civil Division’s Justice Musa Ssekaana follows a successful application by one of the members of Uganda Law Society Brian Kirima against his professional body where he said he was going to suffer irreparable damages if the meeting goes on.

This the second time the High Court is blocking an extraordinary general meeting called by Uganda Law Society in this year 2024. Last month, the same Court issued an order blocking them from convening to sit and discuss issues related to the management and conduct of Hoima High Court Judge Jesse Byaruhanga Rugyema in the Tilenga Oil Case.

Further, this is the third order being issued against Uganda Law Society by the same Court in this year.

On February 2nd 2024, the Civil Division Judge Boniface Wamala issued an order directing Uganda Law Society to stop sending representatives to statutory bodies without being voted for by all the members . This followed lawyer Steven Kalali ‘s successful petition.

Tuesday’s ruling

The issues that were scheduled by ULS for discussion this afternoon were related to the independence of the judiciary.

This follows a President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ‘s letter  dated December 7th 2023 to the Chief Justice Alfonse regarding management and handling of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council property case with businessman Justus Kyabahwa.

Kirima petitioned court adding such meeting could lead to passing of the  resolution that are not only illegal and outrageous but absurd bringing disrepute and embarrassment to the society of which he will suffer as a member.

As such, Kirima noted that Court should grant him a temporary injunction pending determination of his application for judicial review in which he is challenging the legality of such extraordinary meetings of discussing issues he said we’re outside their mandate as lawyers.

In response, ULS through the affidavit of their Secretary Isaac Atukunda, opposed the application saying that section 3(c) of the Uganda Law Society Act mandates the Society to represent, protect and assist members of the legal profession in Uganda as regards conditions of practice and otherwise.

Based on that, Atukunda said the Society  received a petition signed by 17 people and they were satisfied that the petitioners had met the requirements under the ULS Act that warrant convening of an Extraordinary General Meeting.

He said the intended extraordinary general meeting would only discuss and pass resolutions which are within their mandate as provided under the ULS Act.

According to ULS, that the matter raised in the petition for the EGM are matters concerning Rule of Law which they have a mandate to discuss and make resolutions on.

In his ruling  Justice Ssekaana has allowed the application and ordered ULS from going ahead with the decision.

“It has also been shown by the applicant that the balance of convenience of convenience lies in maintaining the status quo and the balance of convenience cannot be ignored in such an application which alludes to breach of law or passing of illegal resolutions which will occasion an irreparable damage or injury, such damage or injury cannot be atoned for or compensated in damages,” said Ssekaana.

He added: “A temporary injunction issues against the respondent, restraining it from calling, convening and arranging an extra ordinary general meeting on requisition of member’s petition until the final determination of the main application (cause).”

Uganda Radio Network has since learnt that the lawyers are planning to hold a protest in form of a boycott of the Judiciary’s upcoming event of New Law Year on Friday.

The post Court stops Lawyers’ meeting to discuss Museveni letter to Chief Justice appeared first on Daily Secrets.

In a long post on his X account Burora accused Uganda’s leaders of violating the law using their positions leaving the population at risk of abuse yet as leaders they are charged with the responsibility to service peace and security, ensure development and preserve democracy and human rights. 

“They (leaders) cannot be tried, they can steal, grab land and they are protected, enact, use the law to their advantage, they can violate all laws and all it requires is, I’m so and so.

Burora Uganda’s current situation is despicable and chaotic because the leaders are only finding solutions to their problems leaving others to suffer.

He warned that the status quo will eventually overruns everyone including the privileged who ought at the time of need to find solutions for all, but chose to find for themselves. 

He wondered why government bigwigs are now under special protection in the security and judicial systems yet the rest of the population is unprotected.

“Instead of finding our own comfort, Let’s wake up to the challenge of fixing what is suspected to be for us yet threatens everyone. What the leaders are trying to do of finding solace for themselves is a temporary fix, it will really break to the extent that all we can do is to regret,” Burora wrote. 

Burora also described the act of surrounding leader’s homes with razor and high security wall guarded by CCTV cameras, mean looking soldiers- a detachment from the public by leaders.

He said leaders are setting bad example are a eroding public morals when for example they break traffic rules in the face of school children and the general public who can no longer reach out to them because of staying in different worlds.

“Do we even have the moral authority to call citizen non patriotic and that we are now drawing budgets to teach mindset change? We need to lock ourselves somewhere and pump sense in ourselves. We are a disgrace,” Burora wrote.

The post RCC Burora says Uganda leadership is “a disgrace” appeared first on Daily Secrets.

The duo spent Wednesday night in Luzira prison after being charged and remanded on eight counts of corruption. Bako appeared on all cases while Nvanungi faces one count which she allegedly committed when she was deployed in Sembabule as a Chief Magistrate.

The Court has heard that during the month of April 2023, in Masaka City and Sembabule District, being a public official employed by the Government of Uganda as State Attorney in charge of the Resident State Attorney’s Office Sembabule and Chief Magistrate of Sembabule Chief Magistrates Court respectively in performance of their public functions solicited for gratification of 2.5 million shillings from the relatives of John Ambasize who was on remand on Ntusi CRB 034/2022 in exchange for his release on bail.

The prosecution says that during the same month, Bako solicited 2.5 million shillings from Zedakai Karinti also in exchange for bail when he was facing criminal summons in a case arising from the same file number and she allegedly received 1.48 million shillings from Franco Mulangwa as part of the offer.

Jacqueline Bako is also accused of soliciting 10 million shillings from Zedekiah Karintu in exchange for excluding him from the charge sheet where he had been charged with attempted murder, criminal trespass, and malicious damage to property. She allegedly received 7 million shillings.

She further allegedly solicited and accepted 2 million shillings from the relatives of Eric Sabiiti who is an accused on the same file to release him on bail. They appeared in court on Thursdays and applied for bail.

Jacqueline Bako presented her brother Francis Ayuko a brother, Dorcus Ndukuka her sister, and Raymond Odonga a close family friend as her sureties.  She said she has been a State Attorney for 12 years and she therefore understands her obligations when granted bail.

Sylvia Nvanungi presented Robert Muwangula her brother, and Prosper Martin Turyagenda, a cousin as her sureties.

Nvanungi said she is sickly and has been undergoing treatment right from October 27th, 2023  to date, and that during the time of her arrest, she lost her valuables including her work ID and others, two medical forms submitted showing she suffers from peptic ulcers and allergy.

She has been a Judicial officer for the past eight years and is an ordinary resident of Kulabiro- Kisasi Nakawa division which is within the jurisdiction of the court. Through their lawyers, they told the Court that the charges against them were bailable.

However, the Prosecution led by Stanley Baine had opposed the application saying the offenses which the applicants were charged with must be taken into consideration because they are serious in nature and attract heavy punishments upon conviction and therefore they may abscond from trial.

He had demanded that the court impose stringent bail against the accused persons as well as their sureties.

The magistrate however dismissed the submissions of the Prosecution describing them as baseless since he had not demonstrated how severe the punishments were. She said the submissions had no merit and went ahead to grant State Attorney Bako 1.5 million shillings bail and each of her sureties 50 million shillings not cash.

Nvanungi was granted bail of 800,000 shillings cash and her sureties 40 millionn shillings not cash.

The trial magistrate warned that in case of the accused persons don’t show up, the sureties should be able to appear.  The accused were further warned that they risk being issued with criminal imprisonment if they absconded.

She further cautioned them that if the accused persons become stubborn, their sureties should surrender them to court and they shouldn’t stop them from doing their roles as a surety. She has adjourned to January 19th, 2024.

The post Chief magistrate, prosecutor granted bail in corruption case appeared first on Daily Secrets.