US court dismisses four-year case against Ugandan diaspora association, UNAA

The Superior Court in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA recently dismissed with costs a four-year case involving the Ugandan diaspora association in North America (UNAA), and their own, a California based small claims and litigation lawyer Joseph Musoke.

While delivering judgment, the Judge advised UNAA’s Counsel Mr. Galen Hair to file a motion for recovery of costs incurred from the plaintiffs who in addition to Mr. Musoke include Mr. Andrew Lakoich Abe of Houston, Texas; and others.

In the 30-minute verdict, the judge proceeded to castigate Musoke for his failure to show up in court on several occasions and for filing motion after motion in a clear attempt to unnecessarily prolong the case - including refiling motions that the court had previously denied throughout the entirety of the case.

In one show of deliberate attempt to delay the case, Musoke, who was listed in court documents, as one of the petitioners, a witness, and an attorney for the case, failed to attend court even on the day of judgment. He also filed an appeal on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, seeking a delay of court proceedings but was thrown out.

Speaking following the court decision, Brian Kwesiga, the UNAA president at the time of Musoke’s suit, expressed satisfaction with the decision.

“This four-year-old case which was filed by Joseph Musoke while I was president has been decided in our favor,” he said in a telephone call to Nile Post.

“It is gratifying when what you’ve been saying for all these years is re-affirmed by the courts. I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. that ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,’” he added.

According to Kwesiga, this was an egregious abuse of the court system by Musoke, who came across as pursuing a relentless and personal vendetta against the respondents named in the case.

Musoke dragged UNAA to court in March 2015 following losing the UNAA presidential elections to Brian Kwesiga. The elections held during the annual 2013 UNAA Convention at Omni hotel in Dallas, saw Musoke obtain only 31 of the 325 ballots cast to come a distant third to Francis Ssenoga (131 votes) and Brian Kwesiga (160 votes).

Musoke, bitter and upset about the election outcome vehemently demanded a special sitting of UNAA members to declare the association constitution which was the basis for conducting the elections, invalid. Musoke also accused UNAA membership of duty violation and alleged conflict of interest.

In response, the UNAA leadership under Kwesiga noted that Musoke had filed his action in ‘bad faith’, having run as a presidential candidate under the very constitution he was opposing; albeit after losing the UNAA Presidential election.