The election of Isaac Ssemakadde as president of the Uganda Law Society (ULS) over the weekend has left egg on the face of some prominent lawyers who had overtly and covertly campaigned against him. Some of these had argued that Ssemakadde’s radical stance was a stain on a proffession known for its conservative norms. Here are the five losers from Ssemakkadde’s election.
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Kiryowa Kiwanuka
It is no secret that Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka did not support Ssemakadde. For starters, Ssemakadde made Kiryowa a key focus of his attacks in the campaigns. We have also been reliably told that Kiryowa worked behind the scenes to mobilise against Ssemakadde. In the end, Ssemakadde won leaving the AG with egg on his face.
Edgar Tabaro
Tabaro initially backed Kenneth Kipaalu who backed out at the last moment. While he did not directly attack Ssemakadde, some of his posts before the election seemed to suggest that ULS did not need radical activism, a veiled attack on man whose catchprase was ‘bang the table’. “Practicing law is an honor & a privilege. As we head for further turbulence in Ugandan legal practice, sober leadership is what we need is not radical activism. ULS is a professional body, not a political outfit,” he wrote on September 19 on X.
Silver Kayondo
Kayondo dedicated so much time on social media portraying Ssemakadde as unfit to lead the Uganda Law Society. He officially endorsed Isaac Atukunda. In one of his posts on September 26, he wrote: “Since inception in 1956, ULS has given us pride & an identity. It survived Obote, Amin, Binaisa, Tito Okello, etc. Some members were killed or fled into exile to preserve it. We can’t be the generation in whose hands it dies. Reject blackmail. Reject rhetoric. Vote sober leaders.”
David Mpanga
On September 20, veteran lawyer David Mpanga wrote: “The cantankerous village drunk who condemns the city-dwelling children for having neglected their deceased father while he was alive speaks the truth, but he may not be the best person to administer the deceased’s estate.” This post was interpreted as an attack on Ssemakadde by his supporters and the replies prove it. It is no secret that during his campaign, Ssemakadde attacked corporate law firms
On September 10 as Ssemakadde’s campaign gathered steam, Opiyo wrote X that “The Uganda Law Society will soon (if they haven’t already) find out the importance of having good leaders.” This post left little doubt on who he did not support: Isaac Ssemakadde. He also retweeted a story done by Red Pepper which suggested that Ssemakadde’s past was shady. Whereas Opiyo congratulated Ssemakadde upon his election, it was seen by many as a half-hearted attempt at reconciliation. We have been told that Opiyo and Ssemakadde have constantly clashed in their activism work, the differences born out of the different strategies each employs.
