Deputy CJ Zeija faces heat as Eastern Bar joins legal protest over scrapped ULS appeals.
Kampala, Uganda: Deputy Chief Justice of Uganda, Hon Dr Flavian Zeija, is under mounting pressure after more than 90 members of Uganda Law Society (ULS)’s Eastern Bar joined growing protests over the abrupt removal of four high-stakes ULS appeals from the Court of Appeal cause list.
In a letter dated Tuesday, July 8, 2025, addressed directly to Justice Zeija, ULS Eastern Bar members, led by Council Member Eddie Nangulu and signed by 30 others, accused the judiciary of blocking appeals “that raise fundamental constitutional and public interest issues that require urgent attention.”
The appeals in question, originally set for hearing tomorrow, Thursday, July 10, were removed following a July 3 communique issued by Court of Appeal Registrar HW Allen Rukundo, citing an “erroneous cause-listing.” This was backed up by Deputy CJ Zeija in an internal judicial communique, sparking an outcry across the legal fraternity.
“We shall appear in court.”
In defiance, the Eastern Bar has vowed to turn up for the hearing (tomorrow), declaring: “We shall appear in Court on the slated date. These matters cannot be allowed to collapse under bureaucratic manoeuvres.”
They further urged Zeija to reconsider his position, warning that delay or denial would deepen the crisis facing the Uganda Law Society and further erode the independence of the Judiciary: “Even if we would want to understand your backlog situation, the entire country is bound to bear the brunt of the unconstitutional processes underway at the Judicial Service Commission.”
In an attempt to appeal directly to the Deputy CJ’s conscience, the Eastern Bar wrote: “With great respect, this clarification may not have been previously brought to your attention. We are optimistic that you now see why the ULS matters should be heard.”
The Four Scrapped Appeals
1. Civil Appeal No. 99 of 2025 – ULS & Anor vs Pheona Nabasa Wall; which seeks to enforce Article 146(2)(c) of the Constitution, compelling ULS to nominate representatives to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
2. Civil Appeal No. 61 of 2025 – ULS vs Brian Kirima; concerned with the right of ULS members to requisition an Extraordinary General Meeting. The letter notes: “The membership has remained voiceless… Asking the members to continue in this predicament for ten more years is not only embarrassing but also unjust and unfair.”
3. Civil Appeal No. 98 of 2025 – ULS & Eddie Nangulu vs Mugisha Hashim & Others; relating to ULS governance and elections, which have been halted due to a trial court’s ruling.
4. Civil Appeal No. 102 of 2025 – Isaac Kimaze Ssemakadde vs Mugisha Hashim; which pertains to the ongoing judicial harassment of the ULS President. “Deferring it condemns the current ULS President to exile… The President cannot effectively represent the members of the Bar at critical statutory entities like the Law Council.”
The protest from the Eastern Bar follows two earlier bombshell reactions which include the ULS leadership that filed an application seeking a temporary injuction of the Court Registrar’s directive to remove the appeals, describing the withdrawal of cases as “procedurally flawed and legally indefensible.”
Earlier today, on Wednesday, July 9, the East Africa Law Society (EALS), issued a strongly worded statement warning Uganda’s Judiciary that the removal of the appeals “violates judicial independence, Uganda’s constitutional obligations, and international law.”
The Regional Bar Body demanded the immediate reinstatement of the appeals to the cause list and warned of consequences, including petitions to the East African Court of Justice, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the mobilization of strategic litigation.
“Judicial authority must stem from adherence to law, not administrative overreach. These appeals are not optional; they are constitutional imperatives,” EALS President Ramadhan Abubakar stated.