Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has issued an order directing Interpol to arrest Uganda Law Society President Isaac Ssemakadde, who has been in hiding since receiving a two-year jail sentence for contempt of court last month.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi instructed Interpol to locate and return Ssemakadde to Uganda to face charges of insulting the modesty of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Jane Frances Abodo.
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During a hearing on Wednesday, private prosecutors Tony Tumukunde and Joshua Byamazima informed the court that Ssemakadde had not yet been apprehended despite a previous arrest warrant. They stated that the order had been served to Ssemakadde’s lawyers and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), but he failed to comply.
In response, Kayizzi authorized an international arrest warrant, directing Interpol to ensure Ssemakadde appears in court on April 16, 2025. The initial arrest warrant was issued on February 24, 2025, after he ignored multiple summons.
Ssemakadde’s lawyers, led by Derrick Bazekuketta, argued that he had been represented in court through them, but the magistrate ruled that criminal liability must be handled in person.
The charges stem from remarks Ssemakadde allegedly made on November 18, 2024, at a symposium in Kampala, where he used derogatory language against DPP Abodo. Private prosecutors submitted video evidence to support their case.
Ssemakadde has challenged the legal process in the High Court, seeking a stay on the proceedings, but Buganda Road Court has refused to halt the case. His lawyers have appealed for an interim order to suspend the trial, citing concerns over his right to a fair hearing.
This marks the second arrest warrant issued against Ssemakadde in under three weeks. The first, by Justice Musa Ssekaana on February 14, 2025, followed his conviction for contempt of court over social media remarks criticizing the judge’s decision to block a Uganda Law Society meeting.
Justice Ssekaana, who has a history of conflicts with Ssemakadde dating back to 2022, handed down the two-year sentence amid public criticism that he acted as both a judge and complainant in the case.
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