What does it take to be an effective Company Secretary? Join us this Wednesday as we host Jane Okot P’Bitek Langoya, Chairperson of ICSA Uganda, Live on YouTube👉 youtube.com/live/z7Av8nOasv8… Don’t miss the conversation! #JSCConversations #CorporateGovernance #CompanySecretary

Sam Ssekyewa Tells Us About the Six Suspects in the Masaka Tragedy. Watch full interview youtube.com/live/zvlOIkEUEnQ…

THANK YOU, SAM SSEKYEWA

Courts outside Kampala still face technological challenges, including the lack of access to the Electronic Court Information System (ECIS). Speaking about the situation in Masaka, Sam Ssekyewa highlighted how ECIS enables advocates to file court documents even late at night, unlike the manual system, which imposes stricter filing deadlines. The Judiciary is urged to bridge the technological gap between Kampala and upcountry courts to ensure equal access to efficient court services.

The industrial action has yielded results, with judges returning to the station to help address the growing case backlog. Speaking on the issue, the advocate noted that both the Senior Resident Judge and the Resident Judge are now at the station, alongside the registrar. While the backlog remains a challenge, efforts are underway to clear pending cases. “We need more judges, but at least the staff available are trying to handle the backlog. As a result of the industrial action, our judge has returned to hear and determine cases, and we are steadily making progress,”

One of the concerns we raised was the selective arrest of only three out of ten suspended students. If there is evidence that about seven of the ten were living in rented premises near the school rather than commuting from home, why did police focus on only three? The school is surrounded by Manyangwa Trading Centre, where seven or eight of the ten students were reportedly residing. Despite several media briefings in which police claimed to have arrested the suspects, questions remain about how the three were selected. If the theory is that the suspended students wanted to retaliate against Senior Three students, why were all seven or even all ten not investigated? The criteria police used to select these three out of the wider group raise serious questions. Police claimed the three had been hiding at Niyo’s home before taking them to court. However, the circumstances surrounding their selection remain an important issue that needs further examination.

“Why were the teachers mentioned by the persons confessing to having committed this crime never subjected to investigation? Why did the police not follow the lead about the tensions in the school arising from the staff reapplication policy? All those are issues and when the judge looked at them, she found nothing.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“Whoever was behind this malicious act intended that students should die. He achieved it ten died, others suffered permanent injuries. And that is something which we are very, very sorry about.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“You find a judge in the morning handling an insolvency matter bankruptcy, letters of administration then they have to do a criminal case midway. So you find the judge is actually overwhelmed.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“We need a change in investigation. We need people who actually read the files before sending them to court. These are young boys whose dreams are being shattered. And if the court finds you brought them here when they should never have been brought you are not doing justice. You are furthering injustice.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate, speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“You have the parents of the victims they have not received justice. The community has not received justice. The accused have been incarcerated for eight years without trial, and the court finds they are innocent they have not received justice. Even the court has not received justice, because it went in to try people who may know something about the fire, and found they don’t. Justice failed every single stakeholder in this case.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate, speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“In 2020, two people came forward and said they were now born again and wanted to speak the truth. They confessed on camera. They said they had been sent by particular people and paid money. The people they mentioned were some of the teachers at that school. The motive. The method. All of it. There.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate, speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“Police said he knows something. As usual, they said: we are holding this pending investigations. What they did not dig deeper into was whether he actually knew anything about the fire.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate, speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

“What makes my blood boil is the quest for justice especially for the marginalized. I always want to stand up for the rights of those that are marginalized in society. The poor, and those that cannot afford top-notch lawyers I am here to offer them my helping hand.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate, speaking @elisonk

“On the 11th of November 2018, while students were sitting their UCE exams, that school was set on fire. A total of ten students died. Thirty-six students suffered irreversible injuries the majority of them cannot recover from them. Three were students who had been suspended from their hostels before the fire. The fourth was a businessman arrested because, when police searched his home, they found clothes belonging to two of the students. That was the story. At the time of his release, he had spent seven years, eleven months and twenty-two days in prison just eight days short of eight full years. All because police found clothes belonging to the other accused at his home.” Sam Ssekyewa, Advocate, speaking @JSConversations @elisonk

Fresh from handling the tragic Masaka school fire case, in which the accused were acquitted after eight years of criminal proceedings, Advocate Sam Sekyeewa joins us tomorrow at 7 PM on #JSCConversations. Children lost their lives. Families were left grieving and searching for justice. The accused spent eight years fighting for their freedom. What went wrong? What does this case reveal about criminal investigations, prosecutions and the administration of justice in Uganda? We sit down with Sam to discuss this extraordinary case, the state of legal practice, electoral justice and the growing crisis of judicial backlog. When justice fails both sides, who holds the justice system accountable?

It does not make sense. It does not stand up to scrutiny. Inflation is rising, fuel prices are going up, and the cost of living is increasing. Yet these foot soldiers, as I have told you, do 70% of the work in internship centres. This is not because we are absent, as has been alleged, or because senior doctors are walking away from their responsibilities. No, that is part of the training process. There is no patient who will not be seen by me or under my supervision. You know, people misunderstand us. We operate much like the army and other institutions, where junior officers can carry out duties under your authority. You do not have to handle every single task yourself or go through all the paperwork all the time. Otherwise, you would lose your mind. When would I have time to come to a talk show like this one? When would I attend meetings? I can only make time for engagements like this because my intern is on the ward, my senior house officer (SHO) is on the ward, and my junior consultant is on the ward. That allows me to attend to other responsibilities. That is how the system is designed, and it is part of the training. I am not absent; I am present.

Uganda’s medical training must be standardised through end-of-course examinations, not additional barriers before internship. Meanwhile, Ugandan doctors are embracing advanced technologies, including minimally invasive surgeries, transforming patient care and surgical outcomes.