By The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on Monday issued a warrant of arrest for Uganda Law Society President Isaac Ssemakadde after he failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi issued the warrant following Ssemakadde’s failure to appear in court to respond to charges of indecently insulting the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo.
According to court records, charges against Ssemakadde were sanctioned on February 17, 2025, under Section 113 of the Penal Code Act, with initial criminal summons requiring his appearance on January 29, 2025. However, his lawyers cited illness and a pending High Court ruling, prompting the court to reschedule his hearing to February 24, 2025.
Despite this extension, Ssemakadde failed to appear again, with his legal team arguing that there was a pending High Court application to stay the proceedings and that they were representing him in his absence.
“In my last ruling, I stated that while an accused person can be represented by counsel under Article 28(3) of the Constitution, he or she must appear in person to take a plea, as lawyers cannot do so on their behalf,” Magistrate Kayizzi ruled.
“The accused was duly served with summons, and an affidavit of service is on record. While there is a pending application for a stay of proceedings, it is established law that such an application does not amount to an order of stay. The defense counsel has not provided sufficient justification for his absence, and the court cannot extend summons a third time without a valid reason,” he added.
Invoking Section 55(1) of the Magistrates’ Courts Act, the magistrate issued an arrest warrant, directing that it be returned to court on March 19, 2025.
The case originates from a private prosecution complaint filed by lawyers Joshua Byamazima and Tonny Tumukunde.
According to the charge sheet, on November 18, 2024, at the People’s Front for Freedom office in Katonga Village, Kampala, Ssemakadde allegedly insulted the modesty of a woman by referring to Lady Justice Abodo using derogatory terms, including “a vagina from Karamoja, a dead wood, a dimwit, and a shameless careerist.”
Monday’s arrest warrant marks the second issued against Ssemakadde within 10 days.
On February 14, 2025, High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana ordered his arrest to serve a two-year jail term for contempt of court, citing his continued attacks on judicial officers.
Justice Ssekaana ruled that Ssemakadde had made derogatory and scandalous remarks against the Judiciary through his social media platforms
