Battle for ULS presidency heats up as MUK, LDC ghosts return to haunt Ssemakadde
Apart from those who have openly expressed their choice of candidate they would love to see at the helm of Uganda Law Society (ULS) through social media, only a handful of top city lawyers were willing to speak their mind when this publication contacted them for their views ahead of Saturday, September 28 tense elections which have pitted self proclaimed ‘rebel’ lawyer Isaac Kimaze Ssemakadde against Isaac Atukunda and Kenneth Kipaalu.
Some would not comment. Others agreed to talk, but off the record.
SSEMAKADDE AT GLANCE
Ten years after serving as the president of Makerere Law Society (MLS) when he was a law student, his candidature has invoked fear in the legal fraternity corridors.
Most of his contemporaries this publication talked to, including classmates at Makerere University School of Law, opine that they will be disappointed if Ssemakadde assumes ULS presidency.
They have described him as “a manipulative attention seeker”.
Some young lawyers who have worked directly under him at his office found at Teachers House in Kampala describe him as an “arrogant, belligerent, and bully’ lawyer with a self sense of entitlement—attributes that can be corroborated by one of this publication’s editor’s following an altercation with Ssemakadde at his office in 2018.
Further, there are questions about his leadership capabilities stemming from the days when he was the president of Makerere Law Society (MLS).
His leadership then has been described as ‘a one man rule’.
“If this is the same person who now wants to lead ULS then I will take a break from that organization’s affairs [until his term ends]if he gets elected. Simply put he is a dictator who doesn’t entertain others’ views,” says Ssemakadde’s former classmate at Makerere University School of Law.
More so, during his presidency at the same school, there was an incident that almost saw Makerere University School of Law blacklisted from the books of a major democracy governance funder— The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), a non-profit German foundation funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
During his tenure, MLS organized an annual law conference with the financial support from FES.
However, after the event, the funders were reportedly not satisfied with the accountability report that was handed over to them by Ssemakadde’s MLS.
The matter was so serious that it had to be referred to the Law School’s disciplinary committee.
Nevertheless, the then influential dean of Makerere University School of Law, Prof. Sylvia Tamale, managed to convince the funders ‘to let things go’ and somehow they cooled down.
This publication has also managed to talk to one of the senior lawyers who served on the same MLS Cabinet with Ssemakadde but preferred not to be on record.
He said “generally there were administrative challenges [during Ssemakadde tenure]but council sat and resolved them”.
He did not specify the exact challenges.
When pressed about the allegations of donors being not satisfied with the accountability report that had been submitted, this senior lawyer said the issue revolved around ‘unutilized funds’ but was resolved.
“Like I said there were some unutilized funds due to administrative challenges. But the council sat and it was resolved,” he clarified.
PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AT LDC
Memories of Ssemakadde being probed for alleged professional misconduct at Law Development Centre (LDC) are still fresh among some lawyers who will be voting for a new ULS president next Saturday.
According to court documents seen by this publication, in February 2016, LDC sub-committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge, late Stella Arach Amoko commissioned a damning report after months of investigating allegations of examination malpractice at the institution allegedly committed between 2004 and 2011.
Following the probe, several advocates had their diplomas cancelled or recalled.
They included Michael Mabikke, Fred Denis Mukasa Mbidde , Fiona Asiimwe Rwakiseeta, David Balondemu, Dennis Jenkins Kyazze, Moses Mugimba Muhumuza, Priscilla Mutebi, Dorothy Amuron, Joseph Lubega, Jane Namaganda, Friday Roberts Kagoro, Michael Ezadri Onyafia, Deo Kizito Lutalo, Felistas Muloiti Nafula, Jackie Evelyn Nakalembe and Florence Kataike.
In other recommendations, a student (names withheld) was referred to the Law Council for further action alongside Ssemakadde who allegedly assisted the former in sitting for him the exams.
According to the report, the committee received information that Ssemakadde acted as a mercenary and sat pre-entry examinations for the student-BAR/138/2011.
Ssemakkadde (mercenary) went on to score 50 percent and his ‘client’ (student) was admitted to pursue the Bar Course at LDC in the academic year 2011/2012.
During the hearing, Ssemakadde was invited and appeared before the committee on 29th July, 2015 together with his legal representatives Messrs Eron Kizza and Peter Kibirango.
They denied all the allegations.
Ssemakadde reportedly acknowledged knowing the student but denied ever sitting exams for him.
“I know [student’s names withheld]. He is my brother in the extended family sense…we are brothers who are now estranged,” Ssemakadde reportedly told the committee.
When asked whether he knew the student’s hand writing, he stated that he had last seen it in primary school.
Ssemakadde reportedly expressed betrayal on the side of the student with this false allegation and demanded that the LDC should write to him an apology letter once he was cleared.
The committee then proceeded to handle over scripts of the student and that of Ssemakadde (Commercial Transactions bearing INDEX No.BAR/475/2007 dated 23rd August, 2008) to handwriting experts for comparison as the student had sat for Term 1 exams at the LDC while Semakadde had completed the Bar Course at LDC (in the academic year 2007/2008).
The Forensic Document Examiners (FDE) Laboratory Report concluded that “it is most likely that the writer of the questioned documents is the same person [Ssemakadde] ”.
Ssemakadde wasn’t satisfied with the report and requested to cross-examine the analyst but the committee concluded that the matter could be resolved through a trial.
Typical of him, Ssemakadde reportedly rebuked the LDC for lack of respect for her alumni and for not helping those who are vulnerable. He also regretted that some lawyers do not show respect to those new to the Bar.
The committee concluded that as an Advocate of the High Court, Ssemakadde fell within the mandate of law Council for any matters touching professional misconduct.
For the student, he was discontinued from the LDC and barred from applying for any other course at the LDC.
ULS COMPROMISED?
A section of lawyers are also reportedly concerned about ULS’s independence.
They feel some top politicians in the country are working behind the scenes to arm twist it from her mandate.
We are told one of top officials at Parliament is behind this operation.
In the grand scheme of things, these NRM politicians are reportedly secretly drumming up support for Ssemakadde and this is something some lawyers have taken note of ahead of Saturday elections.
There are also unpalatable reports coming from Ssemakadde’s Legal Brains Trust but these will be in our subsequent publication after confirming their authenticity.
KENNETH KIPAALU
He is also another candidate vying for the ULS presidency.
Kipaalu served as a research officer at the Supreme Court of Uganda between March 2016 and May 2019. He is currently an Associate Partner and Practice Head, Dispute Resolution at KTA Advocates.
Kipaalu is also a representative of the ULS to the Law Council Committee on Legal Education and Training, a position he has held since August 2022.
He has previously served as chairperson of the Young Lawyers Committee of the Uganda Law Society. While pursuing his Law degree, he was elected President, the Makerere Law Society, a position he held from 2012 to 2013.
The LLM candidate at the Liverpool John Moores University holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre and a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University.
ISAAC ATUKUNDA
Atukunda has been the managing partner at Credo Advocates since 2016. He is the current Honorary Secretary of ULS, a position he has held since 2022 and he also doubles as the chairperson of the Publications Committee.
Atukunda also serves as chairperson of the Uganda Law Society Members First Newsletter Committee 2022 and he was also the chairperson of the just concluded ULS 7th Annual Law Conference Organising Committee 2024. He completed his Bachelor of Laws from Kampala International University (KIU) where he also worked as a teaching assistant from 2007 to 2013. He has also been a member of the North Kigezi Diocese Synod since 2020.
