Retired Supreme Court Justice Wilson Tsekooko has died.
According to a brief communication, Justice Tsekookot died on Monday, October 14, 2019 at Norvik Hospital in Kampala, where he has been admitted.
Judiciary senior communications officer Solomon Muyita confirmed the news
“The funeral arrangements shall be communicated later,” he said.
Justice Tsekooko retired in October 2015 after serving as a justice of the Supreme Court. He has been working as a senior legal consultant with Waluku and Mooli Advocates.
He is known for being principled and a critic against the excesses of the ruling party.
In 2001 and 2006 when Dr Kizza Besigye challenged President Museveni’s election victories in the Supreme Court, he was among the minority who ruled that the election to be annulled.
In 2016, he told the media in an interview that the number of cadre judges making it to the bench is rising, which is undermining the integrity and independence of Uganda’s judiciary.
He asserted that some of the judgments coming from the courts today leave a lot to be desired and cast doubt on the independence of the judges.
In 1980 as a lawyer, he represented former president Milton Obote in a defamation case then candidate Museveni had filed against Obote.
At the peak of the election campaign in 1980, Obote had allegedly made remarks that suggested Museveni was not a Ugandan to qualify for election. Museveni sued Obote for defamation and counsel Tsekooko was instructed to defend Obote against the case.
