Kampala – Members of the Uganda Law Society (ULS) have voted overwhelmingly to extend the tenure of the society’s Governing Council, led by President Isaac Ssemakadde, by six months to allow for proper organization of elections.
The motion passed with 251 votes in favour, while an alternative proposal for a three-month extension received 85 votes.
"The tenure of our Radical New Bar Governing Council led by President Isaac Ssemakadde has been extended by six months, following a majority vote of 251 members," the Society said.
"The alternative proposal for a 3-month extension received 85 votes."
However, it was not lost to many that the Society had a full year to prepare for the election and failed itself.
Ssemakadde's governing council said their term expires on September 27, arguing that the short period left was not enough time for ULS to organise elections.
The extension comes as Ssemakadde remains outside Uganda. Reports indicate that he fled the country in early 2025 after coming under legal pressure, including an international arrest warrant issued by Buganda Road Chief Magistrate's Court on March 19, 2025, over charges related to insulting the Director of Public Prosecutions, Justice Jane Frances Abodo.
In what reads like a real-life legal thriller, Ssemakadde has become a runaway figure reminiscent of a John Grisham plotline.
For Grisham, it was the Runaway Jury - a courtroom manipulation, behind-the-scenes scheming, and characters operating in the shadows. For ULS, it is their runaway president.
Fleeing the country in early 2025 amid mounting legal and political pressure, Ssemakadde now runs the society from afar, sometimes in underwear from beaches, marshalling loyalists and navigating governance disputes much like the shadowy manoeuvrings in Grisham’s The Runaway Jury.
His exile has left Uganda’s legal fraternity in suspense, as members debate whether he remains a visionary leader or a runaway disruptor.
Earlier on Wednesday, ULS members also voted to censure Secretary Phillip Munaabi and Central Region Council Member Geoffrey Turyamusiima.
The censure passed with 462 votes in favour, 83 against, and 35 abstentions. The two officials were expelled from the ULS governing council in a separate vote of 394 for, 100 against, and 35 abstentions, though members opted not to refer them to the Law Council for disciplinary or criminal proceedings.
The leadership crisis traces back to November 2024 when Munaabi, as Honorary Secretary, chaired a council meeting that resulted in the expulsion of Ssemakadde and Vice President Anthony Asiimwe over allegations of misconduct. Both suspensions were later nullified by the High Court in February 2025, which ruled in Munaabi’s favour.
The society has appealed the court’s decision.
Ssemakadde, known for running the society remotely via social media and loyalists, remains in exile. Supporters argue he continues to lead ULS effectively despite his absence, while critics point to his controversial social media activity and the ongoing governance disputes as destabilizing factors for Uganda’s legal fraternity.
The society also resolved to organize elections within one month for representatives to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from ULS, aiming to restore stability after months of internal conflict.
