EALS ask Judiciary to reinstate scrapped ULS Appeals, call for National Bar-bench dialogue

Arusha, Tanzania: The East Africa Law Society (EALS) has demanded the immediate reinstatement of four Uganda Law Society (ULS) appeals that were abruptly removed from the Court of Appeal cause list, accusing the Ugandan judiciary of unlawful interference and undermining constitutional order.

In a statement issued from Arusha on July 9, 2025, EALS described the July 3rd decision by Court of Appeal Registrar HW Rukundo Allen Owembabazi to decauselist Civil Appeals Nos. 61, 98, 99, and 102 of 2025 as “legally indefensible” and a direct violation of Rule 20 of the Judicature (Court of Appeal) Rules, which reserves cause-listing powers to the Court, not the registry.

“The removal of these appeals strikes at the heart of judicial independence and violates Uganda’s obligations under both domestic and international law,” said EALS President Ramadhan Abubakar. “This is not just a procedural error; it’s an attack on constitutionalism, transparency, and the integrity of justice in Uganda.”

The appeals in question address key governance concerns, including ULS’s statutory role in nominating representatives to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), convening general meetings, and protecting its leadership from judicial harassment.

The Radical New Bar, through its Vice President Anthony Asiimwe, had earlier protested the removal in a July 4 letter, accusing the Registrar of administrative bias and manipulating internal court processes to frustrate ULS functions.

EALS referenced Asiimwe’s protest, citing multiple international legal instruments that Uganda is party to, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, as being violated by the judiciary’s conduct.

The regional bar body has now issued five urgent demands to the Ugandan Judiciary, which include: the immediate restoration of the four appeals to the July 10 hearing schedule, full adherence to judicial rules, especially Rule 20, to protect due process, establishment of an independent investigation into the Registrar’s actions, protection of ULS’s constitutional and statutory mandate and call for a national bar-bench dialogue before July 31 to restore trust in the judiciary.

Failure to meet these demands, EALS warns, will result in escalated regional legal action, including a petition to the East African Court of Justice, formal complaints to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and strategic litigation.

“EALS warns that judicial authority must stem from adherence to law, not administrative overreach, and stands with ULS in defense of justice, accountability, and democratic values in the East African Community,” Abubakar declared.