Africa-Press – Uganda. “I was shocked to learn of the death of Dr Joseph Byamugisha.
The hills and volcanic soils of Kigezi Sub-region have produced some of the most remarkable and industrious Ugandans that have served the country to the best of their ability and by any judgement.
Dr Byamugisha was one of them who excelled in legal knowledge and practice. The other legal gurus in this category have included Jonathan Kateera (lawyer), Joseph Mulenga (judge), Amos Twinomujuni (former Supreme Court judge), Gideon Tinyineondi (judge) and Herbert Ntabgoba (a former principal judge).
These were Kigezi legal musketeers who studied law in UK, more or less at the same time. They returned to Uganda where Dr Byamugisha and myself were elevated firstly as ministers of Justice of Supreme Court of Uganda in 1997.
Later I was elected pioneer judge of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, only to be replaced Dr Byamugisha in the same position.
I succeeded Mulenga as minister of Justice and AG in the NRM government and later Dr Byamugisha replaced me as a judge of African Court on Human and People’s Rights.
Kateera inherited one of the oldest law firms in Uganda of Hunter and Greg and was also retained as special presidential adviser on Law.
Ntabgoba become the principal judge of Uganda and Twinomujuni was the executive director of the Law Department Centre, and later a judge of the Court of Appeal/ Constitutional Court.
It is hoped that the Banyakigezi who still traverse the corridors of the judicial powers, including Justice Richard Buteera, will be guided and choose to travel on the same track as their deceased predecessors.
Dr Byamugisha was my lawyer when a foreign national, who had business in Uganda, attempted to grab my land illegally. Both sides had filed volumes of submissions and evidence to support their cases.
When Dr Byamugisha rose and addressed the court, people expected well-argued and long address to the court. One of the grounds for the alien plaintiff was that I, the owner had refused to sign the agreement we had negotiated.
The learned doctor’s submission lasted less than a minute. He asked the plaintiff, ‘Are you saying that you’re still negotiating the terms of the Les agreement and the professor had not signed?’
The plaintiff said: ‘Yes that is true because the judge is very stubborn.”
Dr Byamugisha simply said, “My Lord, I submit there is no case to answer, as there was no contract between the parties. Thank you.’ He then sat down.
The Judge asked, ‘Does the counsel for the plaintiffs have anything to say?’ The answer was no.
The judge said: ‘Case dismissed with costs to the defendants.’
Byamugisha was always on time, sharp precise and short to the point and we shall miss him terribly.”
Prof G.W. Kanyeihamba
