ULS Concludes Annual Rule of Law Week 2026 with the Sam Njuba Memorial Lecture

 The Uganda Law Society (ULS) concluded its Annual Rule of Law Week 2026 with the 2nd Sam Kalega Njuba, SC Memorial Lecture at ULS House, Kololo.

 Leaders, lawyers and civil society actors honored the late former ULS president while warning over the state of constitutionalism in Uganda.

Keynote speaker Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, speaking remotely, said: "The rule of law is not tested when the law is convenient; it is tested when obeying the law is difficult." 

He stressed that court orders demand absolute respect and public office is a public trust.

 ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde, SC, urged interrogation of unfinished struggles for institutional independence.

The lecture also featured Gen. (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, Justice Esther Kisaakye and Hon. Asuman Kiyingi, who presented a paper on constitutional due process. The week was themed "Strengthening the Rule of Law Through Collective Responsibility for Peace, Democracy and Development" — paying tribute to Sam Njuba, ULS President 1978-79. 

Hon. Dr. Miria Matembe, former Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity, spoke of shared sacrifice. “Today, we remember and celebrate a man who faced persecution and suffering in the service of his country. He and I endured undeserved suffering, particularly as a result of our opposition to the government of the day,” she said. She warned that the 1995 Constitution “has been so badly damaged that the things we fought for and hoped to preserve are now under great strain.”

Remarks prepared by Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) and delivered on his behalf by Mr. David Rubongoya emphasised practical justice. “Sam Kalega Njuba, SC, was a fighter for the Rule of Law, and a citizen who refused to surrender to the convenience of wealth and power. If there is one lesson from his work and legacy, it is that the Constitution means nothing to a citizen if it exists only on paper.”

Chief Guest Rtd. Hon. Justice Esther Kitimbo Kisaakye addressed the audience on the theme “The Choices We Make.” Other contributors included Hon. Asuman Kiyingi, who highlighted the pioneering role of Njuba’s daughter Norah as Makerere University’s first female guild president, as well as Hon. Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde and Hon. Dr. Bayigga Lulume.

The lecture reaffirmed Njuba’s legacy as a radical reformer who placed principle above power, and left participants with a clear challenge: to defend the rule of law not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived reality that protects the rights and dignity of every Ugandan.