Uganda’s justice system in 2025 was shaped by a series of high-profile rulings, long-running murder trials, and politically sensitive prosecutions that placed the courts at the centre of national debate on constitutionalism, criminal accountability, and civil liberties.
Supreme Court freezes General Court Martial
The year opened with a landmark constitutional a l decision from the Supreme Court. On January 31, 2025, the apex court ruled that military courts have no jurisdiction to try civilians, holding that such trials violate constitutional guarantees of a fair hearing and access to independent and impartial courts The court invalidated ongoing proceedings against civilians before military tribunals and ordered that all affected cases be transferred to civilian courts. In a judgment led by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, the judges found that the General Court Martial (GCM), the Division Court Martial, and the Court Martial Appeal Court lack the independence required to dispense justice, as they derive their authority from the military high command.
‘All charges or ongoing criminal trials, or pending trials, before the courts-martial involving civilians must immediately cease and be transferred to the ordinary courts of law with competent jurisdiction,’ Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo ruled. He added that the provisions of the UPDF Act establishing military courts do not contain sufficient constitutional safeguards to ensure independence and impartiality, as required under Articles 21, 28(1), 44(c), and 128(1) of the Constitution. Illustrating the principle of separation of roles, the Chief Justice remarked: ‘Imagine me, the Chief Justice of Uganda, who has never done any military training, leading a battlefield and defending the country against an enemy.’ The ruling had immediate implications for politically sensitive cases, including those involving Opposition figures who had previously appeared before military tribunals. Several cases were subsequently transferred to civilian courts.
Dr Besigye charged with treason
In February, public attention turned to veteran Opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye, whose case proceeded before a civilian court following the Supreme Court ruling. His appearance on new treason charges marked a procedural shift from earlier military processes. Pre-trial proceedings were conducted under heightened security and closely followed by the public and political actors. By the end of 2025, Dr Besigye had been denied bail four times and had spent over a year on remand.
Joan Kagezi murder trial: UPDF deserter pleads guilty
Another case that resurfaced in 2025 after years of delay was the murder trial relating to the assassination of former Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Kagezi. Ten years after her killing in March 2015, the trial formally commenced with one of the suspects, Daniel Kisekka Kiwanuka, a UPDF deserter, pleading guilty. The accused admitted to participating in the murder and was sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment. The start of the trial marked a significant development in a case that had come to symbolise delays in the prosecution of serious crimes, particularly those involving judicial officers.
Following the guilty plea, proceedings continued against the other three accused persons. Two police officers, Senior Superintendent of Police Nickson Agasiirwe Karuhanga and former Flying Squad operative Abdu Noor Ssemujju alias Minana, who are alleged to have played roles in the planning and execution of the murder, were also arrested after the plea of guilty of the accused person. The two have since been committed to the High Court for trial The court heard that investigations into the killing had taken years, involving multiple arrests and withdrawals of charges before the matter was finally ready for full trial.
Envoys’ wife charged over the death of son
In another shocking criminal case, Jolin Kanocheri Rugari, the wife of businessman and envoy Chris Rugari, was charged with the murder of her twoand- a-half-year-old son in Mutungo, a Kampala suburb. She was committed to the High Court to stand trial after prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) presented evidence indicating that the child died from asphyxia caused by oxygen deprivation. The post-mortem findings contradicted earlier claims that the child had fallen from a building.
PS Ssali charged In another closely watched prosecution, former
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Geraldine Ssali, was charged with alleged fraud involving Shs3.8b intended for compensation of war loss claimants from Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society. Ms Ssali is jointly charged with Members of Parliament Michael Mawanda (Igara East), Ignatius Mudimi Wamakuyu (Elgon County), and Paul Akamba (Busiki County), alongside lawyer Julius Taitankoko Kirya and principal cooperative officer Leonard Kavundira.
In October, proceedings in the case were halted after Justice Jane Kajuga Akuo ruled that a human rights violation application filed by MP Akamba against the Attorney General must first be determined before the trial could proceed. Throughout the year, several Opposition politicians and aspirants, particularly from the National Unity Platform (NUP), remained entangled in criminal proceedings. A number were arrested and remanded on charges related to unlawful assembly and public order, prompting repeated bail applications and constitutional challenges. The legal profession itself was not spared controversy. In one of the most unprecedented developments of the year, the courts issued an international warrant of arrest against the president of the Uganda Law Society (ULS), Isaac Semakadde, who is currently living in self-imposed exile.
The warrant followed his conviction in absentia on charges related to contempt of court. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, a sentence that remains pending execution should he return to the country or be apprehended through international cooperation mechanisms. The case raised significant procedural and legal questions, including the enforcement of custodial sentences against individuals outside the jurisdiction and the implications for professional leadership within the legal fraternity.
ICC confirms 39 charges against LRA rebel leader Kony in absentia
As the year came to an end, the Pre-trial chamber at the International Criminal Court (ICC), confirmed all the 39 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity slapped against Joseph Kony, the elusive warlord. This was the first-ever ICC confirmation of charges against a suspect in absentia. In its ruling, the ICC found substantial grounds to believe that Kony is responsible for the 39 charges committed between July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005. They include crimes against humanity such as murder, enslavement, torture, forced marriage, rape, sexual slavery, persecution, and forced pregnancy.
He was also found responsible for multiple war crimes, including attacks on civilians, pillage, and conscription of children. Kony is accused of directing systematic attacks on schools and internally displaced persons’ camps, and orchestrating widespread abductions of children and women, who were forcefully integrated into the rebel outfit, the LRA. The Kony-led insurgency caused the death of more than 100,000 people and the displacement of an estimated 1.5 million others across the northern and eastern part of the country.
Katanga murder trial: Prosecution closes case
In December, the prosecution in the high-profile murder case in which five people are linked to the murder of Kampala businessman Henry Katanga, closed the trial after lining up 25 witnesses. Mr Katanga was found dead at his Mbuya home on November 2, 2023. His wife was arrested and charged with his murder. She is charged along with two of her daughters, Martha Nkwanzi and Patricia Kakwenza, who face lesser charges of destroying evidence and being accessories after the fact of murder.
Also charged are Charles Otai, a medic, and George Amanyire, a shamba boy. As the year came to an end, the defence side had filed its submissions for ‘no case to answer,’ seeking to have the case dismissed at that very stage. The prosecution is expected to file its submissions by February 5, before presiding judge Rosette Comfort Kania can rule on whether the accused persons go on defence or on the contrary, have the matter dismissed. Taken together, the cases of 2025 reflect a justice system navigating constitutional interpretation, delayed prosecutions, politically sensitive trials and accountability within public institutions.