The President of the Uganda Law Society, Isaac K. Ssemakadde, has issued an executive order abolishing the use of “colonial-era” court honorifics and rituals of deference by lawyers, declaring that members of the legal profession should no longer bow before judicial officers or address judicial officers as “My Lord,” “Your Lordship,” “My Lady,” or “Your Worship.”
The directive, titled Executive Order RNB No. 12 of 2026, was issued on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, to coincide with Saba Saba Day, which commemorates resistance against authoritarianism in East Africa.
In the order, Ssemakadde argued that Uganda’s judiciary has been weakened by executive interference, judicial corruption, prolonged delays, selective justice, and what he described as systematic failures to address enforced disappearances, torture and attacks against lawyers.
He also accused the military of undermining judicial independence through illegal arrests, extrajudicial searches, detention of civilians, court invasions, obstruction of lawyers and journalists, and the trial of civilians before military tribunals.
According to the Uganda Law Society president, the judiciary’s failings have been reinforced by what he called an outdated colonial court culture that requires lawyers to bow before judges and use feudal titles that elevate judicial officers above ordinary citizens.
Under the executive order, members of the Uganda Law Society are prohibited from bowing or engaging in any form of physical deference before judicial officers.
The order further abolishes the use of titles including “Your Lordship,” “My Lord,” “My Lady,” “Your Ladyship,” and “Your Worship.”
Instead, judicial officers are to be addressed using simplified titles such as “Mr. Justice” or “Madam Justice” for appellate court judges, “Mr. Judge” or “Madam Judge” for High Court judges, “Mr. Magistrate” or “Madam Magistrate,” “Mr. Registrar” or “Madam Registrar,” or simply by their surnames where appropriate.
The directive also instructs advocates and litigants to stand upright and address the court “as free citizens,” stating that members of the Radical New Bar should neither enforce nor observe practices that compel citizens into “postures of humiliation.”
Beyond changes to courtroom etiquette, the order mandates a nationwide consultation within 90 days on the future of Uganda’s court culture.
The consultation will involve representatives of the Bench, the Bar, and citizens’ associations and will examine the continued use of colonial wigs, gowns, and foreign-language requirements in Ugandan courts.
It will also review the Judiciary Client Charter with the aim of rewriting it in plain language, reflecting Ugandan realities and strengthening citizens’ rights to respectful, accessible and timely justice.
Explaining the rationale behind the directive, Ssemakadde said the reforms are intended to dismantle symbols of elitism that distance judicial officers from the people they serve.
“This Order shall strip away the theatrical props of elitism that insulate judicial officers from the daily discomfort, frustration, and powerlessness experienced by Ugandans in the justice system,” the order states.
“By removing these barriers, we force the powerful to confront the humanity and dignity of the people they serve, or fail to serve.”
The executive order takes immediate effect for all members of the Uganda Law Society and is to be published on the society’s official website and circulated to members through official communication channels.
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