Like the saying goes, [The chicken that flies too high often gets caught in the net], and this week, two high-ranking judicial officers have found themselves in a similar trap.
The Uganda Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has shown no mercy after it dismissed Deputy Registrar Cissy Mudhasi Kawuma and Chief Magistrate Ruth Nabaasa for serious misconduct.
On January 9 and 21, 2025, the JSC held its meetings and decided to end the careers of these two officers after finding them guilty of misusing their powers and ignoring the rules that govern their positions.
The JSC’s statement explained that both Mudhasi and Nabaasa had abused their authority, breaking both the Uganda Judicial Code of Conduct and the Commission’s regulations.
In simpler terms, they acted beyond the limits of their power, something that the JSC could not overlook.
Cissy Mudhasi, the Deputy Registrar, was accused of ordering the freezing of bank accounts belonging to several institutions, including Makerere University and the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council, along with a private individual.
The JSC pointed out that this was a serious violation of judicial conduct because she did not follow the correct legal steps to carry out such actions.
But that wasn’t the end of her troubles. Mudhasi also ignored the Chief Justice’s orders to halt certain proceedings during the Covid-19 suspension period, which was put in place to limit the virus’s spread. Such actions, the JSC said, were not only wrong but a direct disregard of the rules in place to ensure fairness and order.
