Makerere University School of Law lecturer Dr. Patricia Atim has made an emotional appeal to President Yoweri Museveni to address the nation on what she described as the deteriorating state of constitutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law following the arrest and prosecution of lawyer Erias Lukwago. Atim delivered the address during a solidarity event organised by the Uganda Law Society after security operatives arrested Lukwago, one of the lawyers representing opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye.
Lukwago, the former Lord Mayor of Kampala, was later charged with misprision of treason, a charge that has drawn criticism from lawyers and human rights advocates who argue it threatens the independence of the legal profession. Speaking before lawyers, academics, and civil society leaders, Atim said Uganda had reached a point where citizens deserved direct answers from the country’s leadership.
“President Museveni, please talk to us as a nation. Speak to us. We need to know where we are heading in this Kisanja No More Sleep. My plea to you is that you give us a Part Two of the State of the Nation Address, very, very soon, to tell us about the state of constitutionalism, the rule of law, and governance in this country.”
She said while the President’s recent State of the Nation Address focused on economic programmes and development priorities, it did not address growing public concern over governance and constitutional rights. “Your previous State of the Nation Address spoke about PDM, about the cattle corridor, about imperialism, and fighting corruption. But here we are watching the Pearl of Africa deteriorate with one circus after another. We are finding it even harder to sleep in our homes. We don’t know who is next.”
Atim said many Ugandans had welcomed the national apology previously offered by President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni for mistakes made during the National Resistance Movement’s four decades in power, hoping it would usher in meaningful reforms. “You left us with hope that when parents make a national apology, then we are going to see fundamental change. But where we are today, it is doubtful. We are not yet seeing that fundamental change in reality.”
The human rights law scholar argued that Uganda has invested significant public resources in negotiating, ratifying, and domesticating international and regional legal instruments, but warned that those commitments risk becoming meaningless if they are not respected. “We have spent taxpayers’ money sending Members of Parliament and government officials to negotiate international and regional treaties, ratify them, and commit Uganda to uphold them. Taxpayers’ money has gone down the drain if we do not wake up.”
Dr Atim also defended the role of lawyers in representing clients regardless of the accusations they face, warning that intimidation of legal practitioners threatens access to justice itself. “If all lawyers dive under the carpet because they fear they will be accused alongside their clients, then who is going to represent the nation? How are we going to realise the constitutional promise of access to justice if advocates are intimidated for simply doing their work?”
Drawing on her experience as a law lecturer at Makerere University, Atim said academics were increasingly struggling to reconcile legal theory with the realities unfolding in Uganda. “For us who are in academia, we no longer know what to teach. You teach constitutional law, administrative law, and human rights law, but what is in the books is very different from what is happening on the ground. Our students tell us, ‘What you teach us is not what we see.”
She urged the Judiciary to demonstrate greater independence by applying a human rights-centred approach in dispensing justice and ensuring constitutional guarantees are meaningful in practice. “We need Ugandans to feel the weight of the Judiciary in upholding human rights. We must breathe life into the Constitution so that what is written in our law books resonates with what people experience every day.”
Atim also called for clarity regarding recent political developments, saying only the Head of State could explain the country’s direction. “The ball is now in your court, our President, to come and explain to us what is happening to this nation. We are simply seeking answers, and those answers lie nowhere else but with you,” she said.
She endorsed demands issued by the Makerere Law Society, including the immediate release or production in court of Erias Lukwago, disclosure of his whereabouts, unrestricted access to legal representation, investigations into the conduct of security officers involved in his arrest, and guarantees that lawyers, judicial officers, and litigants will not face intimidation for carrying out their constitutional duties. Her remarks were met with applause from members of the legal fraternity, many of whom described the prosecution of lawyers representing political clients as a defining test of Uganda’s commitment to constitutional governance and the independence of the legal profession-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
