The Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo has Thursday adjourned hearing of application for withdrawal of election petition from Supreme Court to allow counsels of Robert Kyagulanyi (litigant) to update their legal practicing certificates and licenses.
The lead counsel Hon Medard Ssegona informed Supreme Court that his practicing certificate and that of his team expired and the issuance of a new ones has been delayed.
The Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo told Court that the hearing of the withdrawal application can’t continue until the lawyers have updates their qualifications.
The Chief Justice said Supreme Court will help Ssegona and his team to obtain provisional certificates and licenses in the interest of concluding the matter.
Kyagulanyi, the leading opposition leader last month filed an election petition challenging victory of his rival President Yoweri Museveni.
However, he later announced he had considered a withdrawing the application citing bias in the Supreme Court and said he would instead take the petition to the public court.
All lawyers in Uganda in legal profession are supposed to obtain certificate of approval of their law firm from the Law Council, which is renewed annually.
But all NUP lawyers had not renewed their licenses and got engaged in the litigation something that is against the law.
They would face a heavy disciplinary action if they continued to represent the litigant with expired certificate and license.
This website understands that a few lawyers have a valid practicing certificate as of January and February because these months are left to law firms to be inspected by Law Council to be given licences, after which Lawyers renew their Practicing Certificates in March.
