The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has strongly condemned what it describes as the “blatant judicial harassment and unlawful detention” of lawyer Male Mabirizi and other content creators.
The Society pointed to Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court Criminal Case No. 52 of 2026 as a prime example.
According to the ULS, Magistrate Neumbe Rita Kidasa issued a warrant on March 19, 2026, remanding Mabirizi until April 1, 2026, on charges under Sections 26 and 28 of the Computer Misuse Act—provisions that the Constitutional Court had expressly nullified two days earlier on March 17, 2026.
The Constitutional Court had issued a unanimous judgment permanently restraining all government agents, including magistrates and the Uganda Prisons Service, from enforcing the nullified provisions.
The ULS criticized the magistrate for refusing to recognize a certified copy of this judgment published on ULIL, the judiciary’s online library, stating that such refusal undermines the Judiciary’s e-Justice Policy, violates the Evidence Act and Civil Procedure Rules, and amounts to judicial indiscipline.
The Society further alleges that the charges against Mabirizi are linked to social media commentary targeting two original complainants Chief Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija and Justice Musa Ssekaana both of whom have been blacklisted by the ULS.
The Society withdrew the “Excellence from the Bench” award from Justice Ssekaana and declared Chief Justice Zeija a global judicial pariah for conduct undermining the rule of law.
The ULS insinuates that the magistrate is acting under the malevolent influence of these complainants, effectively turning the court into a tool of personal vendetta.
ULS emphasized that such conduct erodes public confidence in the judiciary and threatens the liberty of every citizen.
The Society called for the immediate release of Mabirizi and demanded that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against Magistrate Neumbe Rita Kidasa.
t also urged the judiciary to issue a circular compelling all courts to comply with the Constitutional Court’s March 17, 2026, orders without delay.
The Uganda Law Society affirmed its commitment to defending the rule of law and protecting the rights of all court users.
By Alex Magala
25th Mar 2026
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