Concerned citizen petitions law council over conduct of Kyagulanyi’s lawyers

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  A concerned citizen, Job Richard Matua has petitioned the Law Council of Uganda demanding the suspension of seven lawyers representing former Presidential Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi in the presidential election petition for alleged professional misconduct.  

The lawyers are Anthony Wameli, Medard Lubega Sseggona, Shamim Malende, Erias Lukwago, Nkunyingi Muwadda, Abdullah Kiwanuka and Asuman Basalirwa.  

According to Matua, on various platforms including radio and television talk shows, the lawyers made grave mistakes unprofessional for the members of the bar who are aware of the basic principles of the rule of law.

“The above-mentioned lawyers made utterances that denigrated the integrity of Judiciary, blackmailed Justices of the Supreme Court with particular reference to Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo and mixed their client Hon Kyagulanyi Robert Ssentamu into making ridiculous utterances like Chief Injustice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo”, reads the letter in part.

The letter copy of which has been sent to the Attorney General as the head of the bar adds, “These dirty unprofessional and dangerous utterances have led to serious public disrespect of the Court and Supreme Court Justices with many mimicking the Judges in the amorphous court of the people”.

According to the Petitioner who describes himself as a Senior Member of National Patriotism Corps Uganda, leaving such grave misconducts of the members of the bar has far-reaching consequences in the stability of this country.

“These bad utterances undermine public confidence of the public in our Judiciary that will ultimately lead to people taking the law into their hands which is a recipe for disaster in terms of Democracy, Rule of Law, socio- economic and socio-political transformations, freedoms and human rights”, writes Matua. 

Matua now wants the Law Council to discipline the said lawyers to prevent further occurrences of similar behaviour and if possible suspend or dismiss some of them from the bar.

Wameli refused to comment on the petition, saying that he does not want to pay attention to issues that do not matter. 

I don’t have a minute of it. It is a busy body. It doesn’t deserve any reply. Besides, I have not heard anything from the law Council. I have only seen it on social media. I wish him luck, said Wameli the head of the Legal Department at National Unity Platform.

Sseggona said that he didn’t have time for what he described as trash.

Kiwanuka said he has no time to waste on petitions adding that he served his client diligently.  

Nkunyingi said he will have to first look at the copy of the petition before he responds. 

A source at the Law Council who preferred anonymity, says that the petition was received and registered.

The source also said that in determining such cases, the Council considers four grounds, which include: if there has been a breach on four principle duties of an Advocate namely; Duty to the client, duty to the court, duty to the legal profession and duty to the public.  

The Law Council then summons the accused advocate for a hearing before a decision can be made. The source adds that if the claim doesn’t fall under the Advocates Act, the Council may refer the case to other forums which are able and willing to investigate it.

In the recent past, many lawyers have been suspended from practicing law for fleecing a client’s money including the late Bob Kasango who was in 2017 found guilty of gross unethical conduct after fleecing more than 700 million shillings from a client in a bogus house sale.  

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