Ssemambo picked as Muslim lawyers president
By Abdul-Wahid Kakande
Lawyer Rashid Ssemambo has been elected as president for the Uganda Muslim Lawyers Association (UMLAS), an umbrella body that brings together Muslim lawyers in the country.
Ssemambo, a distinguished lawyer with 13 years of experience in private legal practice, financial management and international transactions, was declared elected unopposed for the position during the UMLAS elections held on October 4, at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
His career is marked by significant contributions to legal practice where his in-depth knowledge and strategic approach have navigated complex legal landscapes.
Ssemambo’s proficiency in financial management and international transactions has further solidified his reputation as a versatile professional capable of addressing multifaceted legal challenges.
In 2020, Ssemambo was among the candidates that vied for the Uganda Law Society (ULS) presidency in which Bernard Oundo emerged the victor.
He will serve with Sofia Nabaggala Kigozi, Zakia Wanjui and Shafik Isadha who were also elected unopposed for vice president, secretary-general and deputy secretary-general respectively.
Others are; Afuwa Umwiza Nalubwama (treasurer), Shadia Nakibuuka (publicity secretary), and Usama Ssebuufu (secretary for Da-awa).
In his acceptance speech, Ssemambo promised to move the association to greater heights.
“I am greatly honoured to have been elected the UMLAS president. I thank you for the trust you have put in me, and I promise that I will not disappoint you,” Ssemambo said.
Ssemambo also thanked the outgoing cabinet led by Ali Kankaka for the job well-done.
“I know it is never easy to lead people especially the learned friends (lawyers) but I am going to try to give you the best leadership because any society or community is as effective and transformative as the quality of its leadership,” Ssemambo said.
Ssemambo underscored the importance of unity among Muslim lawyers, saying it is the cornerstone of success.
“We seem to have an ongoing challenge of unity as the Muslim community in the country and it is quite ironic that while the Quran tells us to join together on one rope, we are deeply divided,” he said, adding that, “I am wondering what is that is dividing us to extent that even in these elections it plays out. Is it to get a lot of money or praise? My humble prayer is that let us ignore what divides us and focus on the things that bind us together.”
He also appealed to Muslims in the country to build competency for them to compete in the job market, saying empathy is no longer sustainable.
“We must focus on selling competency because it translates into value. The first verse which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was instructing him to read, and this means we must seek for knowledge for us to shine,” Ssemambo said.
He appealed to the Muslim lawyers to share ideas on how to source funds for the association.
Ssemambo also encouraged the Muslim lawyers to uphold integrity, saying it is one of the reasons some of them have not been appointed in the judiciary and other government departments.
“A Muslim lawyer cannot be the one to mortgage a client’s land title or deny bail to a suspect because he or she had not given you money,” Ssemambo said.
UMLAS outgoing president Ali Kankaka said that during their three-year tenure, they had registered significant strides, although the association has a long way to go to achieve its vision and mission.
He tasked the new cabinet to continue tracking the Kadhi courts Bill to professionalise them, saying this will enhance access to justice and also create more employment opportunities for the young lawyers.
“The Kadhi courts are now operating informally which is impeding access to justice for the Muslim families. We need to have the Bill passed. We talked to the Attorney-General and he is positive about it,” he said.
Kankaka, however, expressed displeasure against the Uganda Law Council over delayed approval of the UMLAS legal clinic which he said is crippling the progress of the association.
Citing the issue of High Court judge Faridah Bukirwa Ntambi whose instrument of appoint has not been signed by the President after a complaint from the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, Kankaka criticised Muslim leaders for riding on minor issues to bring down Muslims appointed to different government offices.
Kankaka urged the Muslim lawyers to take note of what is happening in the Muslim community but should desist from bringing them into the association.
“As UMLAS leaders, we all have where we belong but we have refused to bring this into our association, the only time we indulged into this is when the national mosque was under threat because it was incumbent on us to come out. Therefore, we need to consolidate the unity among ourselves otherwise disunity will bring us down altogether,” Kankaka said.
UMLAS chief executive officer Siraje Katantazi revealed that the association had acquired a 10-acre-piece of land for the establishment of a first class school based on the Islamic principles.
