KAMPALA — The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has condemned the mob killing of national rugby player Sidney Gongondyo, describing the incident as evidence of growing lawlessness and declining public confidence in the country’s justice system.
In a letter addressed to Uganda Rugby Union President Godwin Kayangwe Arinaitwe, ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde expressed condolences to the rugby fraternity following the death of Gongondyo, who was reportedly beaten to death by a mob in Bukoto on June 5.
“We learned with profound sorrow that this talented rugby star was brutally beaten to death by a mob in Bukoto,” Ssemakadde said in the June 8 statement.
Gongondyo was a player for the national Rugby Sevens team and a member of Stanbic Black Pirates Rugby Club.
According to the Law Society, the player’s death highlights what it described as a growing trend of mob violence fueled by weakening adherence to the rule of law.
“His senseless killing is a painful reminder of the growing dangers of mob violence in a society increasingly losing faith in lawful processes,” the statement said.
The lawyers’ body called for a joint campaign between the legal profession and the rugby community to combat lawlessness and promote respect for legal institutions.
“This tragedy demands that our two fraternities mount a joint campaign against all forms of lawlessness, especially those driven or enabled by the state, which is the most powerful teacher and role model for citizens,” Ssemakadde wrote.
The ULS argued that increasing incidents of mob justice are linked to broader concerns about governance, including what it termed state-backed violence, declining confidence in the judiciary, and inadequate civic education.
“Rising levels of state-backed violence, judicial decay, the retreat of elites from the struggle for good governance, and the glaring deficit in civic education have created fertile ground for such mob violence,” the statement said.
The society further contended that when public institutions fail to deliver justice, citizens may resort to taking the law into their own hands.
“When government itself bypasses the law and its institutions fail to deliver justice, citizens are more likely to take the law into their own hands,” it added.
The ULS also criticised President Museveni’s recent State of the Nation Address, saying the rule of law received insufficient attention despite what it described as growing concerns over impunity and abuse of power.
“It is therefore deeply regrettable that the rule of law barely featured in President Museveni’s State of the Nation Address on 4 June 2026,” the statement said.
The society cited what it called “repressive actions against opposition voices, excessive force by security agencies, and other patterns of impunity” as factors contributing to public distrust in legal institutions.
Calling for a national conversation on the causes of mob violence, the ULS urged the Uganda Rugby Union and the wider sporting community to honour Gongondyo’s memory by joining efforts to promote respect for the law.
“The ULS unequivocally condemns the mob violence that claimed Sidney Gongondyo’s life,” Ssemakadde said.
“May his memory strengthen our shared resolve to lead by example in building a society where the law is respected, every citizen enjoys equal protection, and no family suffers such a tragic loss again.”
Police investigations into Gongondyo’s death are ongoing, with police saying at least eight suspects had been arrested as of this morning.
His killing has sparked outrage among members of the rugby fraternity and renewed debate about the growing incidence of mob justice across the country.
