Staff
National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu’s lawyers including Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Medard Sseggona, Anthony Wameli, Asuman Basalirwa, Shamim Malende, Abdallah Kiwanuka, and Muwada Nkunyingi. have been dragged to the Law Council over professional misconduct.
In a petition filed on March 1st, 2021, Richard Job Matua accuses Hon Kyagulanyi’s lawyers of having made utterances on numerous Television and Radio talk showsin which they purportedly denigrated the integrity of the Judiciary.
“They misled their client (Kyagulanyi) and some section of the public to believe that our courts are not independent. If we don’t defend the independence of the Judiciary, then we are headed for anarchy as some people could end up taking the law into their hands,”
Richard Job Matua
Richard Job Matua, who is a member of the National Patriotism Corps – Uganda argues that the lawyers misled Kyagulanyi into making several ridiculous utterances such as calling Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo the ‘Chief Injustice’.
“These dirty, unprofessional and dangerous utterances have led to serious public disrespect of the court and in particular the Supreme Court justices with many mimicking the judges in the amorphous court of the people,”
Richard Job Matua
Asked what has motivated him to take the lawyers to the Law Council, Mutua said, “Leaving these grave misconducts of members of the bar has far reaching consequences in the stability of this country.”
Mutua argues that the utterances which were allegedly made by the lawyers undermine public confidence in the Judiciary and wants the lawyers reprimanded.
Mutua argues that the lawyers have failed to separate law and politics.
“There is a great difference between advocates and politicians which I believe the said lawyers have failed to recognise,” Mutua contends.
The Uganda Law Council is established by Section 2 of the Advocates Act Chapter 267 (as amended by Act 27 of 2002) as the overall Regulatory body of the Legal Profession in Uganda. It has powers to dismiss lawyers found guilty of professional misconduct.
