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City lawyer Isaac Ssemakade has been elected Uganda Law Society (ULS) president.
Ssemakade defeated his rival Isaac Atukunda with a huge margin in the election held at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Saturday.
By 6:00pm, preliminary results showed Ssemakade had defeated Atukunda at all eight polling stations.
During his campaigns, Ssemakade vowed to champion structural reforms at ULS.
Prominent journalist, Timothy Kalyegira, described the ULS presidential race as “the most important election since the 2021 general election…”
“It pits Isaac Atukunda the establishment candidate, against Isaac Ssemakadde, an unorthodox candidate representing the growing militant mood in the country,” he added.
Ssemakade received several endorsements from high profile lawyers including retired Justice Prof George Kanyeihamba.
Prof. Kanyeihamba said there is no one that can defeat Ssemakadde in the ULS presidential race.
“I am so happy that when the President-elect— I call him elect because I don’t think anybody can beat him— heard that I was not well, he made an effort, broke his campaign trail to come and see me,” he said.
Prof. Kanyeihamba urged those who believe in him and in his policies to vote for Ssemakadde.
“I have no contestation whatsoever in endorsing the candidature of the person who is sitting next to me as a presidential candidate for the presidency of the Uganda Law Society,” said Kanyeihamba who was the chairperson of the Legal Committee of the Constituent Assembly that made the 1995 Constitution.
Lawyer Fred Mukasa Mbidde endorsed Ssemakadde on Friday saying his ability to execute tasks is unmatched.
Makerere University law lecturer Dr. Busingye Kabumba also threw his weight behind Ssemakadde.
“I have no doubt that if we elect Ssemakadde as ULS President, we might probably come to regret it. At the same time, I am equally convinced that, if we do not elect him as ULS President on 28th September 2024, we shall most definitely regret it,” said Kabumba.
Ssemakade will serve the law society for the next two years.
The race became a two-man chase after Kenneth Kipaalu quit the race at the start of the week. Kipaalu didn’t reveal why he quit the race
CHIMP REPORTS