By Kabuye Ronald
A fresh legal battle has been filed in the High Court in Kampala challenging the legitimacy of the current leadership of the Uganda Law Society, with two advocates seeking sweeping orders to declare the council’s tenure expired and compel immediate elections.
The application, lodged before the Civil Division of the High Court, was filed by lawyers Byansi Henry and Abasa Gimei Godfrey against nine respondents, including prominent legal figures and the leadership of the Law Society.
At the center of the dispute is a claim that eight members of the Law Society Council among them Isaac Kimaze Ssemakadde, Asiimwe Anthony, Turyamusiima Geofrey, Munaabi Phillip, Isiko Arthur, Muhumuza Samuel, Egaru Emmanuel Omiat, Eddie Nangulu, Uganda Law Society and Chairperson of the elections committee have continued to hold office unlawfully after their one-year mandate expired. The applicants argue that the officials were elected during the Society’s Annual General Meeting held on September 28, 2024, at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala, and that their term has since lapsed.
In their Notice of Motion, the applicants are seeking several declarations, including that the council members are no longer legally in office and are not entitled to perform any functions on behalf of the Law Society. They also want the court to issue an injunction restraining the officials from acting in their current capacities.
Further, the applicants are asking the court to declare all elective positions on the council vacant and to issue an order of mandamus directing the Chairperson of the Elections Committee to organize fresh elections within 60 days.
“The continued exercise of authority by the respondents is illegal and ultra vires the governing law,” the application states, citing provisions of the Judicature Act, the Uganda Law Society Act, and the Uganda Law Society (Elections) Regulations, 2016.
The suit also faults the Elections Committee for allegedly failing to fulfill its statutory duty to organize timely elections, a lapse the applicants say has left the Law Society “hamstrung” and unable to effectively execute its mandate, including promoting the rule of law and safeguarding members’ welfare.
According to the filing, the alleged inaction constitutes an ongoing breach of the law, with no internal remedies available to resolve the dispute, prompting the move to court.
The applicants further argue that, as practicing advocates and members of the Law Society, they have sufficient legal interest to bring the matter before court and that granting the application would serve both justice and the public interest.
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