Ssemakadde: Constitutional Court ruling vindicates me

What the report says

Uganda Law Society president Isaac Ssemakadde has welcomed a Constitutional Court decision that struck down key parts of the Penal Code offence covering insults to the modesty of a woman, saying the ruling supports his challenge to the law. The Independent Uganda, citing a URN report, said Ssemakadde described the outcome as a vindication and suggested it moves him closer to returning to Uganda to resume his role at the ULS.

The court, in a unanimous judgment by a five-judge bench led by Justice Cheborion Barishaki, found that sections 115(1) and 115(3) were discriminatory because they protected only women and girls. It ordered that the wording be changed from “any woman or girl” to “any person,” which would extend the protection to men as well. The judges also instructed the Attorney General to bring forward a Bill within 12 months to clarify the conduct prohibited under the law.

The case is closely linked to Ssemakadde’s own legal troubles. He was prosecuted after remarks he made at a Kampala political symposium in November 2024 about then Director of Public Prosecutions Jane Frances Abodo, and a Buganda Road court issued an arrest warrant after he did not appear. He has said the prosecution formed part of a wider pattern of retaliation for his criticism of public officials and the judiciary. Separate from this ruling, the article notes that he still faces questions over a contempt-of-court sentence, so the practical effect on his arrest warrant and other proceedings will depend on further court action.