Justice Tadeo Asiimwe voted new UJOA president

Mbarara Senior resident judge Tadeo Asiimwe, has been voted as the new Uganda Judicial Officers Association (UJOA) president to become the first judge to serve as head of the professional association for judicial officers.

He was elected during the body’s Annual General Meeting in Kampala on Tuesday.

“I am well versed with matters of judicial officers and will, therefore, bridge the gap between UJOA and government but also between judges and magistrates,”Asiimwe said after the election.

The Mbarara senior resident judge now replaces deputy registrar, Godfrey Kaweesa who headed the association for two terms.

Justice Asiimwe’s election comes 50 years after the inception of the association mandated to advocate for the welfare of Judicial Officers right from the highest court (Supreme Court) to the lowest court (Magistrate Grade II).

During the meeting, Grade One Magistrate, Sheila Gloria Atim returned unopposed as the vice president of the association.

Other executive members who were voted unopposed include; magistrates Martins Kirya as the General Secretary,  Esther Asiimwe as vice general secretary, Daniel Bwambale as the treasurer with his deputy being Beatrice Khainza.

Nicholas Asiu was voted unopposed for the position of Editor with his vice being Abert Asiimwe.

Positions of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal remained vacant.

Meanwhile, Justice Olive Kazaarwe, was elected as the representative of the High Court onto the UJOA Executive, Assistant Registrar Dorothy Lwanga now represents Registrars and Chief Magistrate Prossy Katushabe was voted as the representative of chief magistrates.

Magistrate Tindyebwa Kiingi Adyeeri was voted as representative for Grade One magistrates.

Some of the resolutions that the Annual General Meeting included allowing all members' subscriptions to be deducted at source.

This resolution will be registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau and the signatures of members attached.

They also resolved that the monthly subscription fee be increased from the current Shs20,000 to Shs30,000.

About Tadeo Asiimwe

He is the current Senior Resident Judge of Mbarara High Court circuit having previously served in Mbale.

Prior to his appointment as Judge two years ago, he served as acting Registrar in charge of the Court of Appeal.

Born on the 23rd of December 1970, Justice Asiimwe went to Bugema Adventist College for his O-Level (1987-1990). He later moved to Light College Katikamu where he obtained the Uganda advanced Certificate of Education (1991-1993) before joining Makerere University for his Bachelors in Law (1993-1997).

He then joined the Law Development Centre for his Postgraduate in Legal Practice.

He also holds a Masters in Business Administration.

Asiimwe started his career as a Project advocate of the legal aid Project of the Uganda Law society in   Kabarole branch between 1997- 1999.

In 1999 he moved to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions as a state attorney. He was then appointed as Resident State Attorney Buganda Road Court in 2000 and moved to Makindye Chief Magistrate in 2001 in the same capacity.

In 2003, he became an associate partner and external oral examiner at Law Development Centre. He was appointed a Principal Legal Officer Planning, Research and Inspectorate in 2005 a position he held till 2009.

He joined the Judiciary as an assistant registrar attached to Gulu High Court in 2009. In 2010 he was transferred to the International Crimes Division and later moved to the High Court Civil Division in 2014. In the same year he was appointed the acting Inspector of Courts till 2017 when he was transferred to the Court of Appeal..