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.

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…

This is his latest attempt to change what he calls the colonial structure of Uganda's justice system.