Runaway law society president Isaac Ssemakadde gets reprieve from the High Court as his trial is out on ice
The High Court in Kampala has issued a stay of proceedings in a criminal case brought against Uganda Law Society president Isaac Ssemakadde by two private prosecutors.
The case, which accuses Ssemakadde of insulting the modesty of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, has been halted pending the High Court’s determination of Ssemakadde’s application to quash the charges.
Criminal Division Judge Paul Gadenya granted the stay, citing the need to protect Ssemakadde’s rights and prevent potential irreparable damage and malicious prosecution.
He emphasized that the balance of convenience leaned towards Ssemakadde, despite the concerns raised by the private prosecutors, Joshua Byamazima and Tonny Tumukunde.
“The applicant emphasises maintaining the status quo until the revision application is resolved. This argument underscores the need to prevent the potential violation of the applicant’s right to liberty that could arise from continuing the lower court’s prosecution,” Judge Gadenya stated.
The judge acknowledged the prosecutors’ concerns about potential delays and the efficiency of the judicial system but prioritized the protection of individual rights, particularly when those rights are at risk.
“The respondents’ claims of harm do not carry the same immediacy or risk of damage compared to the applicant’s concerns,” he added.
Judge Gadenya ordered the parties to file written submissions in the main case by May 7, 2025, with judgment to be delivered thereafter.
The case, which originated in Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, saw Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi issue a warrant of arrest for Ssemakadde, who has since vanished into thin air and is only heard from part time on social media.
This followed Ssemakadde’s challenge to the criminal summons issued against him, which ultimately led to the arrest warrant.
Byamazima and Tumukunde filed a complaint on oath on November 22nd, 2024, alleging that Ssemakadde made obscene and indecent remarks about DPP Abodo during a symposium on November 18th, 2024.
They presented a flash disk containing a video of the alleged utterances, which included phrases such as, “All these things like your particular Kerfuffle is then given legal dressing by this vagina from Karamoja,” and “I have made a case before that we have a pumpkin for a DPP, but some lawyers continue to pretend that she is actually the DPP… she is dead wood.”
Ssemakadde, who defied two summons, opted to challenge the proceedings in the High Court, leading to the delay in his case. Consequently, the prosecutors requested and obtained an arrest warrant.
This is the second arrest warrant issued against Ssemakadde in a short period. The first, issued by then Civil Division Judge Musa Ssekaana (now a Constitutional Court/Court of Appeal Judge) on February 14th, 2025, stemmed from contempt of court charges.
Ssemakadde was convicted for criticizing Judge Ssekaana on social media after the judge blocked the Uganda Law Society’s Extraordinary Annual General Meeting.
Judge Ssekaana, who had a history of conflict with Ssemakadde, imposed a two-year jail term.
This decision has since drawn criticism, with many questioning the judge’s impartiality. Ssemakadde remains at large.
Source: Nile Post News
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