ISAAC SSEMAKADE, UGANDA LAW SOCIETY PRESIDENT REJECTS HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE JUDICIARY LAW REFORMS COMMITTEE

Outspoken Uganda Law Society (ULS) President Isaac Ssemakadde has turned down his appointment to the Judiciary’s Law Reform Committee, accusing Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo of enabling judicial abuse, silencing dissent, and overseeing a justice system plagued by corruption and impunity.
In a blistering letter dated June 17, 2025, addressed to the Chief Justice, Ssemakadde declared that he "unapologetically" declined the offer to serve, saying his continued exile—triggered by a contempt of court order issued against him in February—makes it impossible for him to participate in meaningful reform.
“I am compelled to reject this appointment, though seemingly beneficial, due to your provocation of Judge Ssekaana’s egregious judicial misconduct,” Ssemakadde wrote, referring to High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana, who ordered his committal to civil prison on February 14, 2025, over alleged insults posted on social media platform X.
That committal, which Ssemakadde described as unlawful and “manifestly void,” has not been overturned and remains on the judicial record, forcing the controversial lawyer into self-imposed exile.
While his exact location remains undisclosed, his allies have confirmed that he left the country in March, citing fears of arbitrary detention.