Lawyer sues colleagues over WhatsApp group
By Lydia Etii Ajwang
Lawyer and Advocate Bwengye Deusdedit has sued fellow lawyers headed by Senior Counsel Franco Byarekenzi for removing him from the WhatsApp group.
Bwengye was enrolled as an advocate and subsequently added to the WhatsApp group of Western Uganda Advocates. He argues that they seem to disagree with him on his way of expression. He says they are disagreeing with him on his right to oppose the NRM government, and opposing religion since he is atheist amongst others.
He also says they are infringing on his right to freedom of association, freedom to access legal and law related knowledge from the WhatsApp forum. He served them the Notice of intention to sue via WhatsApp which was acknowledged.
It should be noticed that Uganda Law Society has decentralized all it’s activities to a regional level, regional WhatsApp groups, regional law dimmers and activities so as to narrow down service delivery. Every Advocate is entitled to be in the WhatsApp group.
Bwengye graduated from Bishop Stuart University with a first class degree and he also sued the university for not respecting the rights of non Christians, he sued Law Development Center and Uganda Law Council for removing LDC pre entry exams amongst others.
Early last year, Bwengye sued The Electral Commission for alleged failure to reserve the name and symbols of National Revolution for the Restoration of Uganda-NARRU, a pressure group that is aspiring to become a mass political party in Uganda.
In the petition filed before the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala, Deusdedit Bwengye who describes himself as the elected President of NARRU, a pressure group based in Mbarara City contends that on September 13th 2021, he applied to the Electoral Commission to reserve the name, slogan, symbols, colors and emblem for NARRU as a mandatory preliminary step towards its registeration as a political party.
Bwengye wanted court to quash the aforementioned decision and make an order compelling the Commission to immediately reserve both the name and symbols of NARRU.