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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court has ordered the urgent hearing of an application seeking to block the elections of the new leadership of the Uganda Law Society.
Court presided over by Nakawa Chief Magistrate Dr Douglas Singiza has issued an order requiring the case filed by lawyers Steven Kalali and Bonny Akol be heard soon in this court vacation because it touches on the process of the election of current office holders of Uganda Law Society-ULS.
“It is hereby ordered that a certificate of urgency is granted on account that the matter deals with the challenge of the process of election office holders of the Uganda Law Society. The orders should be served to the Uganda Law Society as soon as possible”, reads the order for a certificate of urgency in part.
Dr Singiza has fixed the matter for hearing on August 13th 2021, in the presence of the applicants’ lawyers led by Hamza Ssekidde.
The order arises from an application filed on August 6th 2021, by lawyers Kalali and Akol seeking a temporary injunction restraining their umbrella body, Uganda Law Society from organizing any electoral exercise such as nomination, campaigning among others pending the determination of the main suit challenging the legality of the ULS Elections Committee.
The petitioners argue in the main suit that the current Elections Committee led by George Omunyokol is unduly composed because it is not made up of all regional representatives as provided in the ULS Act, and therefore it cannot preside over the elections of the new leadership scheduled in the Annual General Meeting to be held on September 10th 2021.
According to the petitioners led by Kalali, the same committee is not fully constituted because it has four out of the required five members.
Court also heard that the current President of Uganda Law Society, Pheona Nabasa Wall illegally nominated representatives of ULS members on different government bodies contrary to the regulations which provide for having such representatives to be voted for.
After filing the main suit, they filed another application for a temporary injunction saying that the elections as scheduled by the Elections Committee are with no legal basis and are likely to be a nullity.
“That if this injunction is not granted, the members of the respondent/ULS shall be greatly prejudiced and subjected to unfair/unnecessary wastage of their monies in bid to conduct elections”, reads the application in part.
Adding that, “there is an imminent threat of nominations and elections per the decision of the respondent’s election committee contained in the notice of August 3rd 2021 which if left to stand shall deprive members, the applicant inclusive their right to vote. On August 9th 2021, the High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana granted permission to Uganda Law Society to conduct its Annual General Meeting online, where also new leadership is elected.
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