One of the key moments lost in the excitement of the historic ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday was the reunion of two legal minds—Caleb Alaka and Erias Lukwago, who started out in the legal profession together.
The two, who had once formed a formidable legal partnership before parting ways in 2005 due to some disagreements, found themselves on the same side of history when the court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the General Court Martial to try civilians.
Their embrace after the ruling and their joint address to the media was symbolic—a moment that rekindled memories of their early days as young, ambitious lawyers navigating the legal profession together.
For the uninitiated, Alaka and Lukwago’s journey began at Makerere University in 1993, where they met in the Law School. Lukwago had initially been admitted to study Social Work and Social Administration (SWASA) but later transferred to Law after spending ten weeks in the former course.
As he tried to catch up with the new course, Alaka was on hand to take him through the paces.
In previous interviews, Lukwago has said had it not been for Alaka his transition from SWASA to Law would have been difficult.
“I was treated as a stranger by other students but Caleb Alaka, helped me catch up,” he told The New Vision in an interview in 2003.
Their camaraderie extended beyond academics. As students, they often engaged in debates about the law, the constitution, and the role of the judiciary in shaping Uganda’s governance. It was no surprise that when they graduated in 1998, they decided to practice law together, forming Lukwago and Alaka Advocates.
Formidable Partnership
Their law firm quickly gained a reputation for taking on high-profile cases. Young and determined, Alaka and Lukwago were fearless in challenging authority, representing clients who needed legal redress in complex and controversial cases.
One of their first big cases involved George Patrick Bageya, the former Iganga LC5 chairperson who was facing impeachment over allegations of abuse of office. To make matters worse, some councilors had dragged Bageya to court.
The circumstances under which Lukwago and Alaka came to represent Bageya were nothing short of dramatic.
Bageya needed legal services and when he consulted a senior lawyer in Kampala, he recommended that he retain two young vibrant lawyers: Lukwago and Alaka.
At his first meeting with the lawyers, Bageya did not hide the fact that he was hesitant to contract them. A few minutes into the meeting, he felt convinced that the duo would do a good job.
Trouble came when Bageya invited the lawyers to a rally in Iganga where he was due to address his supporters.
When he introduced Lukwago and Alaka to his supporters, many felt the lawyers were too young and inexperienced to handle a complicated case.
“These are just boys, what can they do?” one of Bageya’s supporters queried.
Perhaps his supporters had expected to see two bespectacled men with grey hair clutching at briefcases.
To cut a long story short, Lukwago and Alaka secured legal victory for Bageya and from then onwards, their careers took off.
Next, they successfully represented Winnie Byanyima, then Mbarara Municipality MP in a case brought by her opponent Ngoma Ngime and they were part of Dr Kizza Besigye’s legal team when he contested the outcome of the 2001 elections in the Supreme Court.
In thick and thin times, Lukwago and Alaka stuck together.
In 2005, the General Court Martial chaired by Gen Elly Tumwine remanded the two lawyers who were representing Besigye, for contempt of court.
Lukwago had refused to sit down after Tumwine had ordered him to. In the ensuing saga Alaka jumped to Lukwago’s defence and he, too, was put in the coolers.
Split
Despite their legal successes, cracks began to emerge in their partnership. The true reason behind their parting of ways remains unclear but those close to them said they had disagreements over money.
By the end of 2005, the two had gone separate ways. Their once vibrant law firm at London Chambers was no more. Lukwago decided venture into politics while doing legal work on the side. This decision that set him on the path to becoming Kampala Central MP and later, lord mayor. On the other hand, Alaka remained focused on his legal career, building a reputation as one of Uganda’s top defense attorneys.
The split was not amicable. In the early years the two former friends and colleagues rarely spoke about each other, and when they did, it was clear that the wounds of their fallout had not healed. Their careers took different trajectories—Lukwago became deeply involved in opposition politics, while Alaka handled some of the most complex criminal cases in Uganda.
Supreme Court re-union
Yet fate had other plans as evidenced on January 31. As different legal teams challenged the military court’s jurisdiction over civilians, both lawyers found themselves aligned in the same fight.
The Supreme Court’s ruling that civilians should not be tried in the General Court Martial was a landmark decision. It was a battle that had raged for years, with human rights activists and lawyers arguing that military courts had no authority over civilians.
Lukwago and Alaka, though on different career paths, had both played roles in pushing for this legal milestone.
When the ruling was announced, the two lawyers who were seated next to each other embraced.
In that moment, the weight of their past seemed to fade. They later stood side by side addressing the media. Their unity in victory was a stark contrast to the animosity that had defined their relationship for years.
Indeed, the Supreme Court ruling on Friday was the perfect stage for the reunion of two great legal minds, once the talk of town.
