Uganda Law Society mourns loss of lawyer Bob Kasango

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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Law Society and friends have described the late city lawyer Bob Kasango as a brilliant and intelligent advocate. Kasango died on Saturday evening due to heart-related problems according to the prisons spokesperson Frank Baine.

The Uganda Law Society president Pheona Wall Nabasa says that it is very unfortunate for the crimes he was accused of and sentenced for and with the way people thought he would be a flight risk and never given bail to nurse his ailment.

“His incarceration had a great impact on the lawyers. But he was a kind brilliant man who was down to earth and we will remember him as a happy and jolly man. We are sorry to have lost him,“ said Nabasa in a phone call.

She says when a member of ULS passes on, they usually join the family in burial arrangements.

But for Kasango’s case, they are finding difficulties and technicalities since he died while in prison.

Nabasa however said that they are hoping to hear from the authorities, and said they are interested in knowing the circumstanced under which she said.

“It is a lesson for us, to give people a benefit of doubt especially in cases where people are gravely ill. Sometimes we make decisions in our offices and do not look at the circumstance. It is very regrettable, I do not want to blame anyone because sometimes we do jobs that make decisions with consequences. A great loss to the fraternity,” the ULS boss said.

In December 2017, Kasango was banned from practising law by the Law Council after he had been found guilty of gross unethical conduct.

The Council’s Disciplinary Committee chaired by John Mary Kiwuuwa heard that Kasango had fleeced his client Vivine Mukuru and a property buyer John Kaweesa of 193,200 dollars (707.8 million shillings). This was reportedly in a transaction involving the purchase of a house in Kololo.

But after purchasing the said house, records indicate that shortly after Kaweesa had occupied the said house, another businessman Edward Kiyenje informed Kaweesa that he had already purchased the same house at 80,000 USD (293.1 million shillings).

John Njoroge, a friend to Kasango will remember him for having been kind.

“There are many times I and my family would have gone hungry if you were not there for me and although I had a job. You bought me my first car and even when I tried to pay you back, you refused ‘said Njoroge referring to the deceased.

Betty Amamukiror describes Kasango as a brilliant, humorous and powerful speaker who could charm an audience.

“Bob was eloquent when he started to speak, you never wanted him to stop. I remember sitting through his defence and writing word per word as he presented his defence. I did this not because it’s what was expected of me as a court reporter, but because his diction was too rich, beautifully and brilliantly put together. Sometimes I would look at him and wonder if he indeed committed the crimes he was convicted for. He was too smart,” she said.

However city lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde accuses the Uganda Law Society of abandoning the deceased to suffer the perils of being an unrepresented litigant throughout the several trials and tribulations during his life.

Kasango has been in prison on a journey of serving a 16-year sentence handed to him in 2018 by the Anti-Corruption Court Judge Margaret Tibulya for theft of 15.4 billion shillings meant for pensioners.

But Kasango appealed the sentence and the Court of Appeal Justices led by Catherine Bamugemereire were yet to decide on his appeal. Kasango applied for bail twice in the Court of Appeal but the same was denied.

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