Kampala, Uganda (UG):- The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has strongly condemned the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court’s decision to issue another arrest warrant against its President, Isaac Kimaze Ssemakadde, after he failed to appear in court for a third consecutive time.
The warrant, issued on Monday, 24 February 2025, was the second in less than two weeks, following a similar warrant issued by then High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana on 14 February 2025, intensifying concerns about judicial overreach and the potential misuse of legal processes.
In a statement issued Thursday, February 27, 2025, ULS Vice President Anthony Asiimwe condemned the actions of the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, describing them as a blatant abuse of judicial power and a continuation of the ongoing judicial harassment of President Ssemakadde.
“We view these actions as a blatant abuse of judicial power and a continuation of the ongoing judicial harassment of our President,” Ms Asiimwe stated, adding that despite “the Buganda Road Court’s awareness of President Ssemakadde’s ongoing revision application in the High Court of Uganda, challenging an earlier ruling by Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi, the lower court chose to ignore these developments.”
“The ULS is deeply concerned that the judiciary is being used as a tool for persecution, rather than upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice.”
The Law Society has, therefore, called upon the High Court and the Court of Appeal to expedite the hearing of President Ssemakadde’s corrective actions to halt what they perceive as a misuse of judicial authority and urged all stakeholders to stand in solidarity with the President against this judicial harassment.
“We urge the High Court and Court of Appeal to expedite the hearing of our President’s corrective actions and put an end to this blatant abuse of power. We call upon all stakeholders to join us in condemning this judicial harassment and to stand in solidarity with President Ssemakadde and the ULS,” the statement concluded.
Background of the Arrest Warrants
The Chief Magistrate of Buganda Road Court, HW Ronald Kayizzi, on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Ssemakadde after his third consecutive failure to appear in court. The charges against him involve allegations of indecently insulting the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo.
Despite being summoned, Ssemakadde’s legal team cited various reasons for his absence, including illness and pending High Court rulings. The court, however, found these reasons insufficient and proceeded to issue the warrant.
The latest warrant follows an earlier one issued on February 14, 2025, by High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana, who sentenced Ssemakadde to a two-year imprisonment for contempt of court.
The contempt charges stemmed from Ssemakadde’s critical social media posts regarding Justice Ssekaana’s decision to halt an Extraordinary Annual General Meeting intended to elect new members to the Judicial Service Commission.
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