— From Advocate Hassan Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka followed by Eron Kiiza now President of the Uganda Law Society, Isaac Ssemakadde.
Who is next?
Contempt of court in Uganda has increasingly become a blunt instrument wielded to silence dissent in legal advocacy and settle personal grudges.
Earlier today, Justice Sekaana ruled that the President of Uganda Law Society is guilty of contempt and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment.
I respectfully believe this is ludicrous!
Not even the judges who issued President Donald Trump with multiple contempt charges in ongoing legal battles. Trump’s social media activity—ranging from posts attacking judges and prosecutors to inflammatory rhetoric about legal proceedings—has led to court-imposed restrictions and fines…Not imprisonment.
US Courts issued gag orders preventing Trump from publicly criticizing judicial officers, witnesses, or jurors, recognizing the fine balance between free speech and the integrity of legal proceedings.
Sometime back city lawyer MaleMabirizi was imprisoned for contempt of court by Justice Musa Sekaana-apparently for his social media posts directed towards the “good judge”.
Last month, the General Court Martial in Makindye sentenced advocate Eron Kiiza—known for his fearless legal advocacy—for contempt of court. Shockingly, this was done without issuing a charge sheet or allowing him legal
representation.
The trial resembled a battlefield court-martial rather than a fair judicial process. The General Court Martial acted as prosecutor, judge, and executioner, sending a chilling message to the legal fraternity: dissent will not be tolerated, even within the bounds of lawful advocacy.
Such actions stain the judiciary, turning it into a political tool rather than a temple of justice. Courts should be citadels of fairness, not execution chambers for those who dare to challenge the status quo.
The judiciary’s role is to dispense justice, not to serve as an instrument of political repression. If contempt proceedings are to maintain their credibility, they must not be selectively used to target specific individuals while others walk free for similar or worse offenses. The judiciary should be the shield that protects fundamental freedoms, not the hammer that crushes dissent.
A judiciary that bends to the whims of power is no judiciary at all. It becomes a tribunal of political expediency, where justice is not blind but guided by invisible hands in the shadows. If this trend continues, the scales of justice will tilt irreversibly, and the rule of law will be reduced to mere rhetoric.
By Waboga David
Co-founders of Law Reports Uganda