Uganda Law Society condemns Judge’s order for Sowore’s lawyer to kneel down in court
By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Uganda Law Society has thrown its full support behind the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following a controversial incident in which a Federal High Court Judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, ordered a lawyer to kneel in open court.
In a solidarity letter dated March 18, 2026, addressed to NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, Ugandan Law Society President, Isaac K. Ssemakudde, SC—who is currently in exile—described the March 16, 2026, directive by Justice Mohammed Umar as an act of “humiliation” rather than discipline.
The incident occurred during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where lawyer Marshall Abubakar (lead defence counsel for activist Omoyele Sowore) reportedly raised his voice while addressing the court on a hearing date. Justice Umar then ordered Abubakar to step out of the Bar and kneel, accompanied by threats of committal for contempt. The lawyer refused, asserting the order was unknown to Nigerian law, and the matter was de-escalated after intervention by other counsel.
The NBA swiftly condemned the action, with President Osigwe stating that no judge has the power to order a lawyer or anyone to kneel in court, as it is not a recognised judicial sanction and contravenes expected standards of judicial conduct.
In his letter, Ssemakudde declared the Ugandan Law Society’s “full, uncompromising adherence” to the NBA’s stance, calling the judge’s conduct a violation of due process, professional dignity, and the rule of law.
He emphasized that such behaviour is not unique to Nigeria but represents a “continental epidemic” in English-speaking African judiciaries inherited from colonial legacies, including the archaic offence of “scandalising the judiciary” (abolished in the UK over a decade ago but still weaponised in some jurisdictions).
Ssemakudde shared his own experience: convicted in absentia last year by Uganda’s High Court to two years’ imprisonment for “scandalising the judiciary” after refusing to kneel and apologise for criticising judges and advocating reforms. Facing multiple arrest warrants, he was forced into exile, closing his practice and operating from abroad to continue leading the Ugandan Law Society.
He condemned the incident as wounding the entire legal profession, chilling fearless advocacy, and fostering fear over reason in justice delivery.
Many lawyers across the continent, he noted, have abandoned litigation due to similar courtroom intimidation.
Ssemakudde proposed concrete reforms, including:
*Promoting UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers and Independence of the Judiciary, alongside IBA standards.
*Mandatory courtroom cameras.
*Judicial ethics training focused on restraint.
*Independent disciplinary commissions with balanced Bar and Bench representation.
*Statutory abolition of “scandalising the judiciary” offences in Commonwealth nations.
*Public registers for judicial conduct complaints and swift appellate reviews.
The Ugandan Law Society President pledged ongoing solidarity with the NBA and other African Bar Associations to defend an independent Bar, an accountable judiciary, and advocates who can speak truth without fear or forced submission.
“The temple of justice must never again demand genuflection. It must demand courage,” Ssemakudde said.
