Isaac Ssemakadde (R) chat with the former chief Justice, Owiny Dollo
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy has declined to recommend presidential clemency for former Uganda Law Society (ULS) president Isaac Ssemakadde, citing ongoing court proceedings and failure to meet the legal threshold for pardon.
The decision was communicated through a letter signed on behalf of the Solicitor General by John Bosco Rujagaata Suuza, Director of Legal and Advisory Services in the Attorney General’s Chambers. The letter indicates that the committee found the petition legally untenable at this stage.
According to the communication dated November 28, 2025, and formally delivered to Ssemakadde’s legal representatives on January 29, 2026, the committee concluded that the application was premature. It noted that Ssemakadde has neither completed serving his sentence nor exhausted the available judicial remedies.
The committee further observed that Ssemakadde is currently outside Uganda and has an active appeal challenging his conviction. On that basis, it ruled that intervening through executive clemency would amount to interference with an ongoing judicial process — a principle the committee is mandated to avoid.
“As the judicial process has not been concluded, the committee is constrained from advising the President to exercise the prerogative of mercy in this matter,” the letter states.
The development follows a recent ruling by Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi, who dismissed Ssemakadde’s application seeking to halt criminal proceedings against him. The magistrate struck out both the original and amended applications, describing them as procedurally defective and an abuse of court process.
Ssemakadde had asked the court to stay the trial pending the determination of a constitutional petition contesting the validity of the law under which he is charged. He is facing accusations of indecently insulting a woman.
During his tenure as ULS president, Ssemakadde maintained a confrontational relationship with sections of the legal establishment. One of the most contentious episodes of his leadership was the decision to expel the Attorney General and Solicitor General from the ULS Council — a move that attracted sharp criticism from senior members of the bar and government legal officials.
Although his term in office officially ended last year, disputes over governance within the society have persisted following the suspension of the general assembly that was expected to elect new leadership.
With his clemency request rejected and legal battles still unresolved, Ssemakadde remains outside the country as the judicial process continues.
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