ULS Mediation Stalls as Parties Clash Over Leadership, Elections and Governance

What the report says

Mediation aimed at resolving the Uganda Law Society’s long-running leadership and governance disputes has stalled after two lawyers withdrew and the remaining positions proved too far apart, according to a Nile Post update dated August 21, 2026. The process was being led by a committee chaired by former Principal Judge James Ogoola and included other senior legal figures such as former Chief Justice Bart Katureebe and retired Justice Remmy Kasule.

The report said the dispute centres on disagreements over how the Society should be run, when elections should be held and who has authority to manage its affairs. The mediation began in May after months of litigation had already disrupted ULS operations, including restrictions on an annual general meeting and wider court cases involving the Society and its officials. Nile Post reported that more than 40 cases were pending at one point, affecting the group’s internal elections and representation on statutory bodies.

According to the update, the talks were interrupted after the ULS Council asked for an adjournment and later with the withdrawal of Advocate Hashim Mugisha and Advocate Tony Tumukunde. A third participant, Advocate Abbas Godfrey Gimei, remained involved, but the council and his side proposed sharply different remedies, including interim management arrangements and demands for changes to the current council. The mediators concluded that the gap was too wide to bridge immediately.

Rather than ending the effort, the committee said it would pause the process indefinitely and consult wider justice-sector stakeholders, including the Chief Justice, Principal Judge, Attorney General and ULS members, before deciding whether talks could resume. The standoff matters because the Uganda Law Society plays a key role in the legal profession, and prolonged internal conflict has affected its normal constitutional functions and public standing.