Lawyers Challenge High Court Stay on Buzibira’s Removal from Advocates Roll

A section of lawyers has criticized the High Court order that was issued to stop the execution of a decision of the lawyers’ disciplinary body scrapping off Richard Buzibira from the roll of advocates.

The lawyers claim that Buzibira used a wrong procedure to appeal against the Law Council decision and order thereby misleading the judge to issue a wrong order.

In a May 13 2026 decision, the Law Council Disciplinary Committee delivered its ruling where lawyer Buzibira was struck off from the roll of advocates after he was found guilty of unprofessional misconduct.

 Buzibira was ordered to surrender his legal practicing license to the Chief Registrar.

“We have found that the respondent (Buzibira) committed a professional misconduct of fraud and negligence. The acts by the respondent caused gross loss and all sorts of inconvenience. Such conduct in our view was gross as many people including government were affected,” ruled the committee led by Moses Mushabebe Nabende.

Other members are Dr Pamela Tibihikirra- Kalyegira and Abubaker Ssekanjako.

High Court Judge Simon Peter Kinobe of the Civil Division issued an order halting the Law Council orders striking Buzibira from legal practice.

“The execution of all orders of the Disciplinary Committee of the Law Council in LCD number 94 of 2017 are hereby stayed pending the hearing and determination of the Miscellaneous appeal number 0007 of 2026,” reads the court order.

However, the lawyers claim that while Buzibira has a right of appeal, he filed the matter against wrong parties thereby rendering his appeal of no consequence.

According to the lawyers, the Law Council is quasi-judicial body and it cannot be sued because it is under the Attorney General’s office but also Pastor Daniel Walugembe was a witness.

“The judge entertained an irregular application for it was filed against wrong parties hence a wrong. And the memorandum of appeal in the disputed appeal was never served to the parties as required by the rules,” the lawyer’s state.

Under the Advocates Act, Cap. 295, the Law Council is not a Corporate legal personality.

The lawyers want the Attorney General to take over the conduct of the matter and or taking such steps as may be necessary to safeguard the interests of justice and ensure that the proceedings are conducted in accordance with the law.

When contacted, Pastor Walugembe could not comment about the matter saying he was not aware about the order stopping the striking off Buzibira from legal practice.

The lawyers’ disciplinary committee explained that public resources that were put to waste due to litigation and compensations with costs which could have been avoided if the lawyer acted professionally.

“We found the evidence by the complainant to be coherent, consistent and plausible and more believable. We find that the presentations of the of the forged documents were intended to commit fraudulent acts. We find that fraudulent acts were indeed committed and we are convinced that the respondent is liable for the fraudulent acts,” reads the disciplinary decision.

The decision followed a successful complaint filed by pastor Daniel Walugembe in which he accused the lawyer of forging instructions and powers of attorney of Sunday Joseph to himself alleging that he was instructed him to process payments of land sale from Uganda land Commission.

Lawyer Buzibira has since challenged the Law Council disciplinary committee decision and the Civil Division of the High Court in the appeal pending hearing and determination before a panel of three judges.