The deepening leadership crisis at the Uganda Law Society (ULS) has taken a fresh turn after efforts to broker a settlement collapsed into a stalemate, forcing mediators to suspend the process indefinitely as divisions over elections, accountability and control of the Society remain unresolved.The mediation team, led by former Principal Judge James Ogoola, disclosed in an August 21, 2026 update that several rounds of discussions had failed to produce common ground among the parties.
The disagreements have centred on the lawful composition of the ULS Council, the management of the Society, the conduct of elections and how the numerous legal disputes should be brought to an end.The initiative began on May 5 when prominent figures in Uganda’s legal profession agreed to intervene in the dispute. The mediation team included former Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, retired Justice Remmy Kasule, Senior Counsel Fredrick Ssempebwa, Senior Counsel Francis Gimara, Martha Gidudu and Zubedah Namugenyi, who sought to free the Society from the injunctions and court battles that had increasingly restricted its operations.Five meetings were held before the talks were disrupted by developments beyond the original governance dispute. On June 23, ULS Chief Executive Christine Awori asked for the mediation to be adjourned, arguing that council members needed to concentrate on what the Society described as urgent threats to lawyers and the practice of law.The request came at a time of heightened tension following the arrest of Senior Counsel Erias Lukwago and the blocking of Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua from entering Uganda.
Karua had intended to support Lukwago’s legal team in the proceedings involving Dr Kizza Besigye. Although some participants opposed the adjournment, the mediators agreed to pause the talks.The suspension was followed by the withdrawal of lawyers from the process. Advocate Hashim Mugisha accused the ULS Council of delaying the mediation and acting in bad faith, while Advocate Tony Tumukunde demanded several conditions, including an independent forensic audit of the Society, preservation of key records and a definite roadmap towards elections. When his conditions were not accepted, Tumukunde also pulled out.The remaining talks involving Advocate Abbas Godfrey Gimei subsequently reached another dead end. Gimei called for the existing Council to relinquish control and proposed a 90-day interim Council composed of eminent Senior Counsel.
He also sought restrictions on current council members’ involvement in the electoral process, an institutional apology to lawyers allegedly affected by the dispute and what he termed judicial amnesty for criminal cases involving ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde.Unable to reconcile the sharply conflicting positions, the mediation committee decided not to formally terminate the initiative but instead adjourned it sine die, leaving its future uncertain. The mediators will now consult the Chief Justice, Principal Judge, Attorney General and ULS members before deciding whether the talks can be revived, meaning the Society’s prolonged governance crisis could either move towards a negotiated settlement or return to the courts.
