The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has revealed that it dismissed a complaint filed by jailed opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye against High Court Judge Justice Emmanuel Baguma, saying it did not meet the commission’s admissibility threshold. Speaking to journalists after the launch of the Commission’s Strategic Plan III, Client Charter and Service Delivery Standards on Friday at the Supreme Cour, JSC Chairperson Dr. Douglas Singiza said the commission only investigates complaints that fall within its legal mandate. He noted that when for instance a judicial officer fights with his wife, they can’t entertain such a complaint.
He explained that complaints challenging a judicial officer’s exercise of discretion, such as granting or denying bail, are not matters for the Judicial Service Commission unless there is evidence of misconduct, including corruption, bias or other impropriety. “We have a threshold for handling complaints,” Dr Singiza said. “Once a complaint does not meet the administrative criteria, we do not entertain it.”
In August 2025, Besigye and Lutale petitioned the Judicial Service Commission seeking removal of Justice Emmanuel Baguma from office after he had denied them bail several times and ignoring another application for bail that had earlier been filed in April 2025. Besigye and Lutale then accused Baguma of being incompetent and biased, and unfair. They also told the Commission that their case should instead been heard by the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High Court, but Baguma ended up allocating it to himself before the Criminal Division of the High Court.
Further, Besigye claimed that the judge had refused to let him speak in court and falsely stated that there was no record of their earlier charges before the General Court Martial, despite existing affidavits and court documents before him.
Besigye and Lutale then filed a complaint with the Judicial Service Commission seeking the judge’s removal from office. The accused told the court they were illegally arrested in Kenya and brought into Uganda without following proper extradition procedures.
They said they were detained incommunicado at Makindye Military Barracks for four days without access to lawyers or family before being charged before a military court, even though neither Besigye nor Lutale is a soldier. They further argued that they were committed by the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court to the International Crimes Division and that their trial in the Criminal Division was unlawful and designed to deny them a fair hearing. But to them even when Supreme Court ruled that the Court Martial didn’t have jurisdiction to try civilians, the Judge Baguma also ignored all these facts.
But the Chairperson Judicial Service commission has indicated that litigants dissatisfied with judicial decisions have alternative legal avenues, including seeking review, appealing against the decision, or reporting administrative concerns to the Chief Justice or the Principal Judge where appropriate.
“When you allege that a judge has not granted you bail, there are options available,” he said. “You can apply again or appeal. You do not come to the Judicial Service Commission simply because a judicial officer has exercised judicial discretion,” he said.
Dr Singiza said that the only way they can come in is if, in the process of exercising that discretion, there is evidence that the judicial officer asked for a bribe or acted improperly. Asked specifically about Dr. Kizza Besigye’s complaint against Justice Emmanuel Baguma, Dr. Singiza said the Commission had determined that the complaint failed to satisfy the legal threshold for admissibility.
“I can state without any fear of contradiction that we have written several letters to the complainant/Besigye informing him that the particular complaint did not meet the threshold of admissibility,” he said.
Dr. Singiza made the remarks after launching the Judicial Service Commission’s Strategic Plan III, Client Charter and Service Delivery Standards which he said are intended to strengthen service delivery and improve the Commission’s effectiveness despite its expanding constitutional mandate. The launch was happening shortly after a Stakeholders Meeting including institutions involved in the Justice dispensation system like the Judiciary, Uganda Prisons, Police, Attorney General’s office among others.
The revelation by the Judicial Service commission about the dismissal of Besigye’s complaint comes at the time when Judge Baguma again this week on July 8th 2026 dismissed another bail application filed jointly by Besigye and Lutale who are jointly charged with Captain Denis Oola on treason charges.
Besigye, Lutale and Captain Oola are jointly charged with treason over allegations that they plotted to overthrow the government. According to the prosecution, the trio held meetings in Geneva, Athens, Nairobi and Kampala to solicit funding, acquire weapons and organise paramilitary operations.
Prosecutors allege that Besigye met a Kurdish intelligence operative identified as Andrew Wilson and received US$5,000 to facilitate the transport of 36 Ugandans to Kisumu, Kenya, for military training. The recruits were allegedly intercepted and deported before the training could begin.
The prosecution further alleges that Besigye sought to acquire surface-to-air missiles, ricin poison and counterfeit currency, and planned to use drone technology to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni. The state says it intends to rely on audio and video recordings, social media communications, immigration records and telephone data as evidence during the trial-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
