KAMPALA. Lawyer Livingstone Kawenja is wanted by the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court over allegedly insulting Grade One Magistrate Jolly Rose Anyanga during one of the court sessions she was handling last week.
The lawyer allegedly belittled Ms Anyanga when he reportedly said he was more experienced than her.
Mr Kawenja while submitting in a case in which he is representing retired flight captain and businessman John Kakyo Kassami in a disputed paternity case two weeks ago, is said to have boasted of how he was a senior lawyer, who had practiced for more than 15 years, and has more experience than the magistrate.
According to a reliable source who attended the heated court session a week ago, Ms Anyanga could not stomach the disparaging remarks by the lawyer before convicting him for contempt of court.
However, the magistrate changed her mind from convicting him and instead demanded that he writes an apology to her.
But Mr Kawenja did not show up in court last week to present his written apology to the magistrate. He instead sent his assistant. This move further annoyed the magistrate, who insisted that Mr Kawenja should personally show up in court since the contempt of court offences are against him, not his assistant.
The lawyer was given up to May 27, 2015, to apologise to the magistrate or be sent to Luzira prison.
The incident was prompted by the magistrate ruling against Kawenja’ s client (Mr Kassami) that he should provide maintenance to his six-year-old son that he had rejected since birth due to disputed paternity.
Capt Kassami had refused to provide maintenance to the child of his estranged mistress Joan Akello on grounds that he was not the biological father.
However, two paternity DNA tests; proved that indeed, Kassami is the biological father.
Being dissatisfied with Ms Anyanga’s directive, Kawenja asked the magistrate to stay her maintenance orders to enable him appeal against her decision before a higher court.
But the lawyer’s request did not go down well with Ms Akello, who shouted in court; demanding to know what wrong her son had done to Mr Kawenja so as to resort to lengthening the court process despite court making a ruling.
She vowed to fight on for her child’s paternity rights even if the same meant her going to prison.
awesaka@ug.nationmedia.com
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