National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine, has sharply criticized members of Uganda’s legal fraternity, accusing them of enabling systemic injustices and entrenching oppression in the country.
Speaking during a public lecture organised under the Radical New Bar (RNB) platform in Kampala, a forum initiated by exiled Uganda Law Society (ULS) president Isaac Kimaze Ssemakade to promote open dialogue on justice and transparency, Kyagulanyi condemned lawyers for what he called “betraying the principles of justice and the rule of law.”
“It’s very painful to see legal minds compromising their values. Those who should be fighting for justice, fair hearing, and constitutionalism are instead enabling repression,” Kyagulanyi said.
He accused lawyers of playing a central role in drafting oppressive legislation, instituting politically motivated charges, and frustrating electoral justice in Uganda. “Who drafts the oppressive laws like the UPDF Act, the Public Order Management Act? It’s lawyers. Who sanctions fake charges against regime critics? It’s lawyers. Who prosecutes citizens like Dr. Kizza Besigye without due process or sends tortured victims like Eddie Mutwe back to prison? Lawyers. Who has made it nearly impossible to overturn presidential election results? Lawyers,” Kyagulanyi charged.
“Today, those who steal taxpayers’ money are shielded by the justice system, while those who protest corruption are criminalised. What lesson are we teaching our children, that stealing is okay?” Kyagulanyi warned that when constitutionalism collapses, even those who once benefited from the system will not be spared.
He called on lawyers to resist lawlessness and take a stand for justice, warning that silence or complicity could lead the country into further chaos.
“Dear learned friends, I think it is high time that lawyers stop acting like they’re safe in this burning house called Uganda. Friends, you’re not safe. In a burning house, in a sinking boat, nobody is safe. So don’t even lie to yourself. You may have titles, you may be successful, you may be well known, but when this regime crashes constitutionalism completely, you’re the next one they’re going to come for. If Uganda collapses as we all see, it surely will if we don’t do what we must do, everyone of us is going to be as vulnerable,” said Kyagulanyi.
He also took a swipe at the Supreme court, accusing it of prioritizing political interests over justice and truth. “All presidential election petitions have seen the Supreme court ignore clear evidence of rigging and state violence. They hide behind the ‘substantiality test’, a legal excuse to deny justice,” Kyagulanyi said.
“That judicial cowardice is what has failed our democracy, and it has kept our country moving in circles. It ignores the reality that in Uganda, electoral malpractice happens throughout the entire electoral process. From pre-electoral times to post-electoral times. I mean, you see abductions, you see torture of opponents, you see internet blackouts, you see military deployment, you see bribery, you don’t just see open ballot stuffing, it happens long before,” added Kyagulanyi.
He blamed the legal fraternity’s failures for contributing to Uganda’s historical constitutional crises, referencing the events leading up to the 1966 power grab. Kyagulanyi was accompanied at the event by several senior NUP leaders, including Kawempe North MP Erias Lukwago Luyimbazi, NUP secretary general Lewis Rubongoya, deputy president Dr Lina Zedriga, and Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu.
Meanwhile, the ULS paid tribute to the late Supreme court justice George William Kanyeihamba, hailing his integrity and enduring contribution to Uganda’s legal framework.
ULS head of rule of law, Afra Apio, praised the former Supreme court judge as a fearless defender of justice. Justice Kanyeihamba was instrumental in drafting the 1995 Constitution and is remembered for his strong stance on judicial independence and the rule of law.
WATCH: My Keynote Address at the Uganda Law Society House Yesterday on Lawyers as Agents of Social Justice Through Upholding Human Rights and Electoral Integrity. pic.twitter.com/WraPURcTXM
— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) July 16, 2025
Kyagulanyi, for you to criticize lawyers and accusing them of enabling systemic injustices and entrenching oppression in the country is like being called ugly by a frog and/or called corrupt by M7! First and foremost, it’s politicians like you, but in this instance M7, who come up with draconian and/or oppressive laws to be drafted by “lawyers,” then passed by you, politicians, in parliament. As an MP at the time, you uplifted the age limit from the constitution to make M7 a life president. To make matters worse, when you stood against M7 in the 2021 bogus and violent elections, you came after Besigye but not M7. You clearly blamed Besigye for standing 4 times against M7 and lost, then he, Besigye blamed it on lack of democracy. You clearly stated that there’s democracy and further assured us that you would show us that democracy works! Now, you’re blaming lawyers, right?
Kyagulanyi, democracy and rule of law are intertwined and are work hand in glove and enjoy a distinctive dyed-in-the-wool relationship, which is inseparable. Lawyers are caught between a rack [politicians] and a hard place [politicians] because, you, as politicians, bring your draconian laws to them and after drafting them, you pass them as laws in parliament. So, if you don’t bring them to drafted and further pass them, lawyers wouldn’t have nothing to draft and even if drafted, but not passed by you, then we wouldn’t have oppressive laws you’re talking about and blaming lawyers for them.
Kyagulanyi, you’re not only a fugazi but also a hypocrite. With clear knowledge that you can’t [and never will] win bogus and violent elections because, you uplifted the age limit in order to make M7 a life president, but blamed Besigye for standing 4 times and losing. However, you also stood against M7 and lost. Now, with clear knowledge that there’s neither democracy nor rule of law, you’re urging the youths to join politics and stand in bogus and violent election, but blame it on lawyers for “betraying the principles of justice and the rule of law.”
In other words, you’re [as a politician] blameless and clean as a whistle, right?
…As an MP at the time, you uplifted the age limit from the constitution to make M7 a life president.
To my recollection, this chap- you call a fugazi, went out of his way to cane SFC goons with a microphone stand when fighting the “togikwatako” battle.
The video is on YOUTUBE titled “WWE in Ugandan Parliament”.
Trying to create divisions between Besigye and Kabobi…They are the same and should both be locked up.
The only differences between Besigye and Kabobi are the name and age but they are essentially the same.
He, Kabobi, has a very good point. Who has “my Jaja” based on history, not betrayed ?
Do Ugandan lawyers think they are any more special than; Besigye-personal doctor, Tinyefunza-spy chief, Moses Ali- fellow fighter under Gadaffi’s patronage, Boniface Byanyima-“father ” figure, etc ?
For what you call bogus and violent elections.
Ugandans, stupid as they are, have not yet found a way of making the causers of violent and bogus elections “lose appetite” for violence and conducting bogus elections but one day they will. It is just work in progress.
Look for the vote
Vote
Guard the vote
Jaja TOVA KU MAIN
IF UGANDANS DO NOT VOTE, “JERRY CANS” WILL BE DEPLOYED TO VOTE under tight security and protection so a boycott is OUT.
Hiccup
drunkard, I know you’re under the influence 24/7, and you, just like M7, Kyagulanyi and other politicians, don’t care about innocent lives which are lost in bogus and violent elections designed for politicians to make money.
Read another article in the Observer with the headline, “Three killed, over 90 arrested in NRM elections violence.” This is the party in power, why’re they killing each other in bogus and violent elections? Money and/or Greed.
Just like M7, Kyagulanyi found in lawyers to justify his love with a passion for bogus and violent elections because, he make billions of money by getting his hand on taxpayers money. That’s why Kyagulanyi “sharply criticized members of Uganda’s legal fraternity, accusing them of enabling systemic injustices and entrenching oppression in the country.”
I know you’re under the influence, but omutamivu tabaga mbwa, so, is it the lawyers who killed those 3 innocent people in that bogus and violent election cycle?
Meant to say Kyagulanyi found scapegoats in lawyers to justify his love for bogus and violent elections because he makes lots of money out of them.
THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL. MENE, MENE,TEKEL
drunkard, as we speak, the president of ULS, Isac Ssemakade, is in exile due to lack of rule of law. However, Kyagulanyi is blaming lawyers, including Ssemakade, who organised the Radical New Bar (RNB) platform in Kampala, a forum Ssemakade initiated to promote open dialogue on justice and transparency. However, Kyagulanyi didn’t spare him.
Also, just like Wooden K and Kent Mawa, you don’t dispute the facts that Kyagulanyi as an MP uplifted the age limit to make M7 a life president. Mea culpa “To my recollection, this chap- you call a fugazi, went out of his way to cane SFC goons with a microphone stand when fighting the “togikwatako” battle.” Tell me, was the age limit uplifted from the constitution by MP Kyagulanyi?Did Kyagulanyi win the battle for “togikwatako?”
If he didn’t, as you clearly know he didn’t, how does Kyagulanyi expect to win bogus and violent elections organized by M7 whom Kyagulanyi made a life president by uplifting the age limit from the constitution?
drunkard, as a drunkard, deep down your mind, you’re calling Kyagulanyi a clown! Abracadabra, get IDs, go and vote, and leave the rest to Kyagulanyi, right? After all Kyagulanyi believes that there’s democracy and rule law, but most importantly M7 organizes bogus and violent elections so that Kyagulanyi could win one day. It is just work in progress, right?
The elections are violent because UGANDANS ALLOW THEM TO BE SO.
Ugandans are sleepy.
Case in point ;
How can a guy hire goons for instance 10 goons to disrupt a whole village with 200 people ?
If the residents of that village are not sleepy then that cannot happen.
This has nothing to do with Kyagulanyi or even Mr. Museveni.
If those “violent goons” in elections were “made to lose appetite for violence” by Ugandans, would the elections still be called violent?
Of course our run of the mill opportunistists benefit from that.
That is why it happens time and time again. It is a “consolation” for being floored by an Octogenarian. “We lost to an 80 year old man because he overpowered us with “his” physical strength”.
These guys, you-Remases included, can declare” Anyone in this village who turns violent during elections will get arrested/restrained, if not by police then villagers will do so.”
People will behave. You do not have to beat, just restrain- the first and last person I saw who could beat up more than 50 people at once was Bruce Lee…
Even “Sobi” was restrained/arrested- look up his introduction to the public video on YOUTUBE.
Another guy who was restrained/arrested was the former Ugandan Ambassador to the USA who drew a pistol in a cultural meeting in Northern Uganda. GO ASK HIM IF HE STILL HAS APPETITE FOR THOSE ANTICS.(The video can still be sourced on YouTube)
But if people abscond their duties and leave them to police(with it’s dismal numbers) of course opportunists will exploit people’s sleepiness. ANGELS STAY IN HEAVEN.
Have you ever wondered why when an armed officer shoots and kills an unarmed person, he “takes off” ?(No one actually chases him)
Or why during the recent Buganda/Bugerere riots it is said that the current spokesperson of the army, Mr. Felix Kulaigye, when things became “hot”, he resorted to “footshibishi” with his physical appearance, and even pleaded with rioters. I strongly believe he was ARMED.
I saw clowns on TV, NUP supporters in Northern Uganda (youth elections), lamenting about how a registrar had “taken off” with nomination forms.
They even had motorcycles nearby in the video and I did not see a lame person. YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE.
How can you be expected to run Uganda with that level of sleepiness?
Just because you came from the “ghetto” doesn’t mean we should welcome you with a red carpet.
If You ,Ugandans, are genuine and you want a violence free election, it can happen.
That is no excuse not to participate in governance.
JAJA TOVA KU MAIN
Look for the vote
Vote
Guard the vote.
Hiccup. Let people vote and hiccup put to hiccup shame the myth that my “Jaja” is not hiccup popular.
Hiccup
Muve mukwewasa Remase- Mulonde, and vote for “Jaja” hiccup.
You have just witnessed these pretenders (pretending to be violent) in the NRM primaries and those who escorted JAJA for his nomination.
YOU NOW KNOW THEM AND HOW THEY OPERATE.
For example, the guy seen dragging a woman on the ground as he was snatching her purse(he had dreadlocks and didn’t appear in court). During “my jaja’s ” nomination.
If you now see him on the street, secure your purses with padlocks.
Same goes for the “ballot box kickers” once you see them on voting day, give them an “escort”-10 powerful men, to “help” them vote properly and go home immediately.
HOW WILL HE/THEY KICK THE BOX IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES?
Hiccup, I am drunk hiccup but you sober up first, I hiccup will sober up later(never).
For those lawyers and Semakadde, I CONSIDER THAT A BETRAYAL by the law fraternity.
1. Have you ever heard that one of Uganda’s former Attorney Generals was shunned by the law society for being “funny” ?
2. When facing a “difficult” judge in court lawyers always advise Clients to request for another Judge.
Putting the above 2 points in mind, can’t the “learned friends” get a solution to Mr. Semakadde’s “long vacation” ?
Ebyo byabwe( as I have already stated, they are creating an enabling environment for the emergence of “rolex” in Uganda the same way “barbecue” emerged in Haiti).
Their “learnedness” will not help them when faced with “rolex”.
You have heard of “black”, “Sobi”- we might see “rolex”, “molokonyi”, “pizza”, “chips” or any other food pseudonym for dangerous criminals because these guys are too LAZY to put their house in order.
If the chief justice thinks things cannot backfire, I would like to remind him of our former President TITO OKELLO “LUTWA” who was chased out of the country by “scouts” from Luweero. In effect these were and still are “barbecues” they were smart enough to clothe themselves in international recognition and coalitions with legitimate “leaders” ( there is always the likelihood of revenge so you have to camouflage to appease) but now they are old and the cycle seems to be on the edge of repeating itself. Will the next “barbecues” be as smart and hide in plain sight or will we have Haiti ? WE WILL BLAME LAWYERS.
If things get bad, even heads of state “take off” how about a chief justice?
I read somewhere that the Northerners wanted to Lynch President TITO OKELLO (I can’t recall why) but he was saved by BAZILIO, who will save you from your own people I wonder ?
Hiccup.
Makerere hiccup has just hiccup shown you hiccup what happens when hiccup things are left to get “weird” .
Luckily we hiccup have hiccup alternatives for Makerere University.
Do we have alternatives for the Judiciary other than “KU SUTURITI” justice ?