Africa-Press – Uganda. National Unity Platform (NUP principal Robert Kyagulanyi delivered a powerful indictment of Uganda’s legal system, exposing how the law has been systematically undermined and reduced to a tool of oppression rather than an instrument of justice.
Kyagulanyi made these remarks on Tuesday at the Uganda Law Society Headquarters during a press briefing on “Lawyers as Agents of Social Justice Through Upholding Human Rights and Electoral Integrity.”
“In Uganda, the law is nothing more than the paper for which it is written,” Kyagulanyi declared.
He argued that the current government manipulates laws to serve its interests, using legal frameworks as weapons to silence critics and maintain political control.
Kyagulanyi specifically blamed lawyers for their complicity in this systemic breakdown.
“Who drafts oppressive laws like the UPDF Amendment Act 2025 and the Public Order Management Act?” he challenged.
He exposed multiple legal ironies, notably quoting President Museveni’s 1987 speech: “Law can be an instrument of oppression and exploitation or an instrument of social justice and progress.”
Kyagulanyi criticized lawyers for blindly adhering to legal texts without questioning their fundamental justice, stating, “Many outstanding lawyers say, ‘but that is what the law says,’ without wondering whether that law is just or unjust.”
He highlighted key electoral manipulations, such as ignoring the 48-hour detention rule, holding citizens in incommunicado detention, trying civilians in military courts, and rigging elections with impunity.
“Lawyers who draft fake charges, prosecute citizens without due process, and send torture victims to prison instead of hospitals are betraying the fundamental principles of justice,” Kyagulanyi argued.
His words served as a stark warning that social justice cannot exist when law becomes a mere instrument of political control.
Kyagulanyi challenged lawyers to recognize their critical role in protecting citizens’ rights and maintaining constitutional integrity.
“If lawyers don’t speak up against lawlessness, then who will?” he asked, emphasizing that neutrality in times of systemic injustice is itself complicity.
He called on lawyers and citizens alike to reclaim the true purpose of the legal system — to ensure justice, equality, and protection for all.
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