KAMPALA – The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has petitioned the High Court Civil Division seeking legitimacy of its scientific elections.
ULS President Simon Peter Kinobe, in the court petition, says on June 24, 2020, they wrote to the Prime Minister seeking permission to be guided on how they can conduct their elections. However, to date, they have not received any response or guidance to that effect.
Mr Kinobe says the term of office for the current leadership at ULS expired in April and it is urgent they hold an election even amid Covid-19 to choose new leaders.
He adds that the current Uganda Law Society Act does not provide for scientific or hybrid meetings and elections.
Kinobe says that if permitted, the elections will still be done with a limited number of people at a given time. He says they will set up a variety of election centres across the country and maintain physical distancing, as one way of avoiding the spread of COVID-19.
“The Uganda Law Society convening an Annual General Meeting and an election is of great importance to its membership and the Public and touches the very core of our constitutionality, rule of law and good governance which require urgent redress by this honourable court”, reads the application in part.
The application comes 10-days after a section of members petitioned the General Secretary of the Uganda Law Society demanding for the said elections on grounds that they have been silent on the same yet several organizations listed on the stock exchange have successfully implemented digital or physical meetings while ensuring that they follow standard operating procedures by Government.
ULS General Secretary Francis Harimwomugasho has justified the decision of petitioning court as one which will be neutral because more than 3000 members of ULS had failed to agree on how to conduct the elections.
