John Wilson Nattubu Tsekooko (30 January 1943 – 14 October 2019), was a Ugandan lawyer and judge, who served as a Justice of the
Supreme Court of Uganda, from 1994 until 2015.
Background and education
He was born in the
Bugisu sub-region of the
Eastern Region, Uganda
The Eastern region is one of four regions in the country of Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is us ...
, in 1943. He graduated from
Makerere University, Uganda's oldest and largest public university, with a
Bachelor of Laws degree. He also obtained a
Diploma in Legal Practice
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
from the
Law Development Centre, in Kampala.
Career
Tsekooko served as a state attorney in the Directorate of Public Prosecution from 1968 until 1974. He then resigned and went into private law practice until 1977. He went into exile between 1977 and 1979.
In 1990, he was appointed to serve as a Judge on the
High Court of Uganda
The High Court of Uganda, also Uganda High Court, is the third-highest court, judicial organ in Uganda, behind the Supreme Court of Uganda and the Court of Appeal of Uganda. It has "unlimited original jurisdiction", with powers to try any case o ...
. In 1994, a vacancy opened up on the Uganda Supreme Court. His name was nominated to the appointing authority by the Judicial Services Commission. President
Yoweri Museveni appointed him to the Supreme Court of Uganda.
He served in that capacity until 2013 when he turned 70 years of age. He was hired on contract for another four years, until his retirement in 2017.
As a private attorney
In 1980, Tsekooko served as a defence attorney for
Milton Obote, in a defamation case against him filed by then presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni.
As a Justice of the Supreme Court
On two occasions, in 2001 and 2006, Supreme Court Justice John Wilson Tsekooko ruled in favor of presidential candidate
Kiiza Besigye in contested national presidential elections in each of those years. In both instances, Justice Tsekooko was a member of the dissenting minority on the bench.
Death
Two weeks before his death, he was admitted to Norvik Hospital, a private healthcare facility in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. He died there on the afternoon of 14 October 2019. He was buried at his ancestral home in Bunakhaima Village, Butiru Sub-county,
Manafwa District, on Saturday, 19 October 2019, at 4pm local time.
References
External links
John Wilson Nattubu Tsekooko Dies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsekooko, John
1943 births
2019 deaths
Justices of the High Court of Uganda
Justices of the Supreme Court of Uganda
Law Development Centre alumni
Makerere University alumni
People from Eastern Region, Uganda
People from Manafwa District