Uganda: Ssemakadde's Bid for Presidential Pardon Rejected

The Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy has declined to advise the President on granting clemency to exiled president of the Uganda Law Society, Isaac Ssemakadde.

The decision, conveyed in a letter signed on behalf of the Solicitor General by John Bosco Rujagaata Suuza, director of legal and advisory services in the Attorney General's Chambers, said the request was premature and undermined core legal principles.

The letter, dated November 28, 2025, and received by Ssemakadde's representatives on January 29, 2026, states that the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy found the petition premature.

The committee noted that Ssemakadde had not served his sentence and was currently outside the country, and that he had a pending appeal against his conviction, meaning the judicial process had not been exhausted.

"Accordingly, the Committee determined that, as the judicial process is still ongoing, the petition is premature -- as non-interference with ongoing judicial proceedings is a core guiding principle of the committee's work. Consequently, the Committee was unable to advise the President to grant pardon to Mr Ssemakadde," the letter reads.

The rejection comes weeks after Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi dismissed Ssemakadde's application to halt his criminal trial, in which he faces charges of indecently insulting a woman.

The magistrate struck out both the original and amended filings, describing the attempts as defective and an abuse of court process.

Ssemakadde had sought to stay the proceedings pending determination of a constitutional petition challenging the legality of the provision under which he is being prosecuted.

Ssemakadde's tenure as Uganda Law Society president has been fraught with clashes with the legal establishment. Early in his term, he expelled the Attorney General and Solicitor General from the ULS Council, prompting criticism from senior lawyers and legal authorities who described the move as unlawful.

His leadership term expired last year, but efforts to hold a general assembly to elect a successor were controversially suspended, leaving governance disputes unresolved.

Ssemakadde is now left outside the country with his legal challenges unresolved.