National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has launched a scathing attack on Uganda’s legal fraternity, accusing lawyers of entrenching systemic injustices and enabling state repression.
While speaking during a public lecture organized under the Radical New Bar (RNB) platform in Kampala, a forum initiated by Uganda Law Society (ULS) President Isaac Kimaze Ssemakade to promote open dialogue on justice and transparency, Kyagulanyi accused members of the legal profession of betraying the very principles they are sworn to uphold.
“It is painful to see legal minds compromising their values,” Kyagulanyi said. “Those who should be fighting for justice, fair hearing, and constitutionalism are the same ones enabling oppression.”
The opposition leader accused lawyers of playing a central role in drafting repressive laws, sanctioning politically motivated charges, and obstructing electoral justice.
“Who drafts the oppressive laws like the UPDF Act and the Public Order Management Act? It is lawyers,” Kyagulanyi charged. “Who sanctions trumped-up charges against regime critics? Who prosecutes citizens like Dr. Kizza Besigye without due process or returns tortured victims like Eddie Mutwe to prison? Lawyers. And who has made it nearly impossible to overturn presidential election results? Lawyers.”
Kyagulanyi further criticized the legal system for shielding corrupt officials while criminalizing whistleblowers and protestors. “Today, those who steal taxpayers’ money are protected by the justice system, while those who speak out against corruption are criminalized,” he said. “What message are we sending to the next generation? That theft is acceptable?”
He warned that when constitutionalism breaks down, even those who once benefited from the system will eventually suffer. Urging members of the legal fraternity to take a stand, he called on them to resist lawlessness and reclaim their role as defenders of justice. “Silence and complicity are not neutral positions. They are dangerous.”
Kyagulanyi also criticized the Supreme Court, accusing it of prioritizing political expediency over truth and justice. “All presidential election petitions have seen the Court ignore clear evidence of rigging and state violence. They hide behind the so-called substantiality test, a legal excuse to deny justice.”
Referring to Uganda’s turbulent constitutional history, he cited the events that led to the 1966 power crisis, blaming similar legal failures for today’s governance challenges.
Kyagulanyi was accompanied by several senior NUP leaders, including Kawempe North Member of Parliament Erias Lukwago Luyimbazi, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, Deputy President Dr. Lina Zedriga, and Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu.
In a separate development, the Uganda Law Society paid tribute to the late Justice George William Kanyeihamba, describing him as a towering figure in Uganda’s legal history.
ULS Head of Rule of Law, Afra Apio, praised the former Supreme Court judge as a fearless defender of justice and constitutionalism.
Justice Kanyeihamba played a key role in drafting the 1995 Constitution and is remembered for his unwavering advocacy for judicial independence and the rule of law.
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