The President of the Uganda Law Society (ULS), Mr. Isaac K. Ssemakadde, SC, has issued a strong and far-reaching statement aligning with the position of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that no judge has the lawful authority to compel a lawyer or litigant to kneel in court.
In his communication dated 18 March 2026, the ULS President unequivocally condemned the reported incident at the Federal High Court, Abuja, describing any directive requiring a legal practitioner to kneel as not only unlawful, but a form of humiliation that has no place in the administration of justice. According to him, such conduct is fundamentally inconsistent with due process, professional dignity, and the rule of law.
He stressed that the authority of the court must never be exercised in a manner that degrades legal practitioners or litigants, noting that compelling a lawyer to kneel does not amount to discipline but rather represents an abuse of judicial power. In his words, when a judge resorts to such measures, it sends a dangerous signal that justice is governed not by reason and law, but by fear and coercion.
Beyond the immediate incident, the ULS President placed the issue within a broader continental context, warning of a growing pattern across several African jurisdictions where judicial authority is deployed in ways that intimidate lawyers, suppress dissent, and elevate rigid notions of “decorum” above substantive justice. He described this trend as a troubling legacy within English-speaking common law systems, where archaic practices are sometimes weaponised to silence the Bar.
Drawing from his own experience, he revealed that he was previously convicted and sentenced in absentia in Uganda for “scandalising the judiciary” after refusing to kneel and apologise to judicial authorities. He further disclosed that the circumstances surrounding that episode forced him into exile and disrupted his legal practice, underscoring the personal risks faced by lawyers who resist judicial overreach.
The ULS President also used the opportunity to propose concrete reforms aimed at safeguarding the independence of the Bar and ensuring accountability within the judiciary. These include promoting adherence to international standards such as the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, mandating judicial ethics training, establishing independent disciplinary mechanisms with balanced Bar and Bench representation, abolishing outdated offences like “scandalising the judiciary,” and improving transparency in the handling of judicial complaints.
He concluded with a call for Bar Associations across Africa to act collectively and decisively in defending the independence of the legal profession, insisting that the courtroom must remain a place of justice and not intimidation. He further emphasized that the legal profession must be anchored on courage, integrity, and the freedom to speak truth to power without fear of humiliation or reprisal.
The statement by the Uganda Law Society represents a significant continental intervention on the issue, reinforcing the principle that the dignity of legal practitioners is inseparable from the integrity of the justice system itself.
