Kampala, Uganda: Uganda Law Society (ULS) President Isaac Ssemakadde has defiantly declared that the Society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will proceed this Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Imperial Beach Hotel, Entebbe, despite a High Court ruling that temporarily halted the event and related Judicial Service Commission (JSC) elections.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday, October 16, by High Court Judge Bernard Namanya of the Civil Division, granted a temporary injunction restraining ULS, its officials, and members from convening or holding the AGM, whether physically or electronically, until the final determination of Miscellaneous Cause No. 267 of 2025 or further court direction.
Justice Namanya also barred the implementation of resolutions passed during the September 17, 2025, meeting at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala, pending clarification on the legality of the ULS Council and the process through which the meetings were convened.
In his ruling, Justice Namanya noted that the injunction was necessary to prevent irreparable harm that could arise if the AGM and JSC elections proceeded under a disputed leadership structure. He observed that the Council’s legitimacy remains under question following the February 2025 Ssekaana ruling, which declared the previous ULS Council illegally constituted, a matter still under appeal.
The judge further found that proceeding with the AGM could compromise the integrity of the JSC election, a process tied to constitutional functions, and therefore warranted judicial restraint. He also noted possible violations of due process in the censure of members Phillip Munaabi and Geoffrey Turyamusiima during the September meeting, emphasizing that they were not granted fair hearing rights.
Justice Namanya’s injunction explicitly covers both physical and virtual meetings, effectively freezing ULS activities connected to the AGM and elections until court review on October 20, 2025.
The injunction stems from a petition filed by Advocates Turnukunde Tonny and Nabijewa Martha, who claim irregularities in the leadership structure and meeting notices issued by the current ULS Council. They previously published a disputed notice of ULS resolutions in New Vision on September 17, 2025, which Ssemakadde dismissed as fraudulent.
Ssemakadde Defiant: “There Is No Injunction”
Responding to the controversial ruling, Ssemakadde, who is currently in self-imposed exile, insisted the AGM would go on as planned. He confirmed that the Radical Conference and Cocktail Party, pre-AGM activities will take place starting tomorrow, Friday, October 17, at the same venue where the AGM will proceed the following day.
Ssemakadde accused what he termed “enemies of the Bar” of using litigation to obstruct reform and frustrate the Radical New Bar Vision 2060 (RNBVision2060), adding that the injunction poses a grave financial risk to ULS, which has already committed UGX 400 million to the hotel and related service providers.
“The injunction compromises our constitutional obligations under Article 146(2)(c) and statutory duties under sections 23 and 24 of the ULS Act,” he said, adding that it also disrupts the scheduled 10 CLE points owed to paid-up members.
He outlined possible legal actions to counter the ruling, including filing for recusal of the presiding judge, seeking a stay, or appealing the injunction. “The enemies of the Bar are determined to stifle the ULS, but we shall remain vigilant and protect the Society’s autonomy,” Ssemakadde asserted.
Legal observers have warned that proceeding with the AGM despite a valid injunction could expose ULS and its officials to another contempt of court, attract sanctions, and nullify any decisions made at the meeting. Contempt proceedings may also carry fines or custodial sentences, given the explicit terms of Justice Namanya’s Thursday ruling.
The legal dispute is the latest chapter in a deepening rift within the ULS, following Justice Ssekaana’s February ruling, which continues to destabilize the Society’s governance under the self-exiled Ssemakadde and its electoral operations.
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