Law

SoL Bids Farewell to Staff

Published

3 years ago

July 5, 2022

Zaam Ssali

Staff that retired from the School of Law, Makerere University at their farewell party on 18th June 2022. From Left to Right: Prof. Sylvia Tamale, Mr. Ellia Nyanja Musoke, Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi and Ms. Deborah Kisolo.

On the 18^th June 2022, the School of Law (SoL) organized a farewell party to celebrate four long-serving staff. The four members including Professor Sylvia Tamale, Mr. Nyanja Musoke, Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi and Ms. Deborah Mpiima Kisolo had worked in different positions at the School for many years and were awarded with plaques for their commitment and service to the School.

In his opening remarks, Professor Christopher Mbazira, Principal, School of Law, appreciated the four for their commitment. Prof. Mbazira noted that some of the staff being celebrated had retired while others had chosen different careers.Talking about Professor Sylvia Tamale, the Principal said,“we have enjoyed working with you, you’ve always been a mentor to so many of us, you were kindhearted and could help some students who were financially challenged as well as staff with social challenges. Thank you Professor Tamale”. Prof. Mbazira also noted that, “The beauty with academia is that your students become your colleagues and at some point they become your bosses,” he said. Prof. Mbazira also applauded Mr. Nyanja Musoke who during his tenure of service as a Lecturer of development studies taught without any discrimination and was very soft and kindhearted. The Principal also appreciated Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi for being popular and kind with students. Professor Mbazira praised Ms. Deborah Kisoro, for her photographic memory of students and thanked her for the service to the many that came to his office.

In her remarks, Professor Sylvia Tamale appreciated the School for nurturing her for 37 years. She also thanked SoL staff for organizing the party and for being fantastic colleagues. “You all know that I always come to the school, and I will always be coming to enjoy SoL benefits without teaching,” she said. Professor Tamale requested that a room be reserved for retired staff in the new SoL building.

According to Professor Mbazira, Professor Tamale was key in the construction of the building and was a member on the Steering Committee for the SoL new building, “I pledge that a room will be reserved for our retired staff,” Prof. Mbazira said. Speaking about Professor Tamale, Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi noted that, “Professor Tamale challenged the perspective and outlook of the faculty towards women, most of the bad examples given by lecturers were against women, things changed when she came in, she was really firm, principled and a loving lecturer,” he said.

Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi joined Makerere University in 1990 and was a student of Professor Sylvia Tamale, the only female member of the faculty then. Initially he fought discrimination against Muslims by the university which was sparked-off by the introduction of a new menu which was against Muslims. This was achieved together with Prof. Abasi Kiyimba. With the assistance of Professor Oloka-Onyango, Hon. Nsibambi fought the University idea of shifting the construction of the University Mosque from the current location to the location close to College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology. After realizing that many were voiceless out there, Hon. Nsibambi shifted his advocacy skills to not only Muslims but also for the voiceless. Hon. Nsibambi appreciated those he has worked especially Professor Tamale for encouraging ladies to join the school, “When I see young ladies taking the mantle, it’s really a great achievement, my mother took me to good schools. I miss the Faculty of Law, its good we have better and young people taking over,” he said.

Mr. Nyanja Musoke was a lecturer of Development Studies at School of Law, with a passion in teaching which was inherited from his grandparents. According to Mr. Musoke, “SoL is the place I have worked the longest, and I have been awarded, I really appreciate”. According to Mr. Musoke, Development Studies was the only course were I thought I would defend rights of Uganda as a country, “Development is about political, social and economic justice and law is meant to organize these,” he said. Mr. Musoke appreciated SoL for giving him an opportunity to teach, “I never had issues with Deans and Heads of Departments despite my political sensitivity and some military training, life has been very smooth for me at School of Law,” he said. According to Mr. Musoke, law is meant to organize life of society, and create a wonderful environment and make it beautiful; the lawyers we teach are learned friends but we need to go back to the roots, work with ordinary people and prove that we are their own,” he said. Mr. Musoke applauded PILAC for being very useful in addressing societal issues,“they have dealt well with the current issues of prisoners,” he said. Mr. Musoke also cautioned SoL staff from shouting too much during lecturers as it can lead to throat cancer. He also advised them to avoid over standing which can result to back and leg pain.“We teachers like shouting, but as teachers we don’t need to shout, this can cause throat cancer. The time we leave, our backs are affected with legs paining. We need stools to avoid limping and at times it leads to a stroke. We need to improve these in our service delivery,” he said.

In her remarks, Ms. Deborah Mpiima Kisolo thanked God for the gift of life and the opportunity to work since 1982 without any serious sickness. “I was born from Makerere village and am a product of Makerere University,” she said.She joined School of Law in 2011 and has served as the exam coordinator since. Ms. Deborah appreciated staff for working and walking with her. She also urged staff to embrace God in all they do.

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Law

School of Law Annual Report 2024

Published

3 weeks ago

April 22, 2025

Mak Editor

Cover page of the School of Law Annual Report for 2024. Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

It is my pleasure to share the School of Law Annual Report for 2024. The report highlights the major activities undertaken and the key outputs realized in light of our core mandate of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and community outreach.

I am happy to report that we successfully implemented all scheduled activities concerning teaching and learning. These included teaching, continuous assessments, final examinations, orientation for new students, field attachment for our LLB III students and graduation among others. At the 74^th graduation ceremony held in January 2024, the School of Law presented 285 graduands (1 Doctor of Laws, 20 Master of Laws and 264 Bachelor of Laws). During this ceremony, Hon. Justice Fredrick Egonda Ntende and Hon. Betty Bigombe whom the School of Law had recommended, received their Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees of Makerere University for their distinguished service and contribution to society. The School of Law is very proud of these distinguished citizens. We thank Makerere University Council for having approved their awards.

Our students continued to excel in the different national and international moot court competitions. During the Phillip Jessup International Law Moot Competition held in Washington in April 2024, Makerere University School of Law was recognized as the highest ranked team from Africa. In the area of research, our faculty undertook a number of research projects and published many scholarly articles and research reports on different subjects. I congratulate them for the research outputs realized.

The Judiciary of Uganda and the Parliament of Uganda are some of our key partners and stakeholders. During the reporting period, through our staff and students, the School of Law participated in and contributed to a number of activities organized by these two arms of Government. Key among these included the Africa Judiciaries’ Summit on Alternative Dispute Resolution (5^th March 2024), the 7^th Annual National Plea Bargaining Conference (21^st June 2024), the Alternative Dispute Resolution Week (5^th – 9^th August), the Family Justice Summit (12^th -13^th August 2024) and the 7^th Chief Justice Benedicto Kiwanuka Memorial Lecture. In May 2024, our students appeared before the Health Committee of Parliament and presented their views on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2023.

Through mainly our different advocacy and outreach entities including the Public Interest Law
Clinic (PILAC), the Refugee Law Project (RLP) and the Human Rights & Peace Centre (HURIPEC) our staff and students conducted and participated in a number of community outreach activities. Key among these included: training of police officers on juvenile justice; training of judicial officers on juvenile justice; providing legal aid services to female prisoners in Luzira Prison; and conducting the Administrative Law short course for public officers in various parts of the country.

In December 2024, the First Lady and Minister for Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha
Museveni officially opened our new School of Law building. The three-storied building has several facilities including staff offices, lecture rooms, seminar rooms, state of art moot court room, a library, a lactation room and a cafeteria. These facilities will greatly enhance the teaching and learning environment at our School, which is key to providing high-quality legal education and training. The building worth 7.3 billion UGX was fully funded by the Government of Uganda.

I thank the Government of Uganda, Makerere University Council, Makerere University Top
Administration and all our partners and well-wishers for the continued support that enables us to implement our programme of work. I also thank my fellow leaders and colleagues at the School of Law for the support and participation in the different activities.

As We Build for the Future

Ronald Naluwairo, PhD
Associate Professor
PRINCIPAL

Makerere-SoL-Annual-Report_2024 Download

General

Pre-Entry Examinations for Admission to Bachelor of Laws 2025/26

Published

2 months ago

March 26, 2025

Mak Editor

Students sit for an exam in the pre-COVID era, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda.

The Academic Registrar Makerere University announces that the Pre-Entry Examination for admission to the Bachelor of Laws for 2025/2026 will be held on Saturday 12^th April, 2025 from 9am – 12pm.

To be eligible to sit the examination, Applicants must possess the minimum admission requirements of the University, and any one of the following specific requirements:

A’ Level leavers: Must hold an ‘O’ Level Certificate (UCE) or its equivalent with at least 5 Passes plus ‘A’ Level Certificate (UACE) or its equivalent having obtained a minimum of 13 points (Males) and 12 points (for Females) in any ‘A’ Level combination for both Humanities and Sciences. Candidates who did ‘A’ Level before 2013 should have 15 and 14 points for male and female applicants respectively.
Diploma Holders: Must possess at least a 2^ndClass or Credit Diploma from a recognised institution. Certified Copies of Diploma Transcripts (No Provisional Results) from the Awarding Institutions must be attached to the Application Forms.
Mature Age Applicants: Must have passed the Makerere University Mature Age Entry Examination (for Bachelor of Laws) for February 24, 2024 and December 14, 2024.
Degree Holders: Must be graduates in any Discipline from a Chartered University. Certified Copies of Degree Transcripts (No Provisional Results) from the Awarding Institutions must be attached to the Application Forms. (Degree holders are not eligible for Government sponsorship)

Note:

All applicants wishing to be admitted to the Bachelor of Laws programme offered by Makerere University are required to sit and pass the pre-entry examination of Makerere University.
All applicants interested in Government sponsorship, must have applied for Bachelor of Laws( LAW) by filling in the Government application form. All applicants interested in Private Sponsorship for Bachelor of Laws (LAW) -Day and Afternoon (LLA) will apply afresh when the advert comes out.
All applicants who hold diplomas and degrees must present a certified copy of the academic transcript. Provisional results shall not be accepted to register for this examination.
Applicants should note that admission is based on performance in the pre-entry examination and intake capacities for private day and private afternoon for all categories i.e. ‘A’ level, Diploma Holder, Mature Age, Degree holder and international applicants.
All applicants must attach a PDF Format of scanned copies of their original academic documents, original identification documents (A’ level former school IDs, the rest should have valid IDs s ) and the most recent coloured passport size photograph with a white background as shall be specified on the online application portal.
Each Applicant MUST without fail avail his/her e-mail address and an active mobile phone number that will be used appropriately as may be required to reach out to her/him in case of any communication after submitting the application. Applicants are encouraged to regularly check with the e-mail address/ mobile phone number availed/ application account(portal) for any future communication/information.
All Applicants with visual impairment are advised to come with laptops installed with the computer BRAIL Programme which they will use to write/sit for their pre-entry examination.

Further information detailing how to submit the application are contained in the document below:

2025-2026-Bachelor-of-Laws-Pre-Entry-Advert Download

The closing date for submitting the completed online Application Forms is Thursday 10^th April, 2025.

Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi
ACADEMIC REGISTRAR

Law

75th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere University: SoL Best Performing Students, Alado attains 1st Class

Published

4 months ago

January 13, 2025

Zaam Ssali

A Montage of the Best Overall LLB Student of the 75th Graduation Ceremony, Mr. Alado Lawrence who attained a First Class Degree with a CGPA of 4.56 and the Best LLB Female Student, Ms. Nakalema Stella Maris who attained a Second Upper Class Degree with a CGPA of 4.26. 75th Graduation Ceremony, Day 1, CoCIS, CEES, CoVAB and School of Law. 13th January 2025, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

At the 75^th Graduation Makerere University School of Law (SoL) presented a total of 285 graduands including (3) Doctor of Laws (LLD), (48) Master of Laws (LLM) and (234) Bachelor of Laws (LLB).

The Bachelor of Laws awardees were 98 female and 136 male. Mr. Alado Lawrence emerged the best student among the LLB class attaining a 1^st Class degree with a CGPA of 4.56; Ms. Nakalema Stella Maris who attained a Second Upper Class was the best performing female student with a CGPA of 4.26.

Best LLB Graduand: Alado Lawrence

Alado Lawrence, a humble soft-spoken gentleman who hails from Lira District in the northern region of Uganda emerged the best student attaining a 1^st Class for the LLB with a CGPA of 4.56 out of 5.00. First class degrees are very rare at SoL; Lawrence is the 15^th graduand to have attained this class of degree since 1971 when Makerere University produced the first LLBs.

Mr. Alado Lawrence, best performing LLB student who attained a 1st Class degree. 75th Graduation Ceremony, Day 1, CoCIS, CEES, CoVAB and School of Law. 13th January 2025, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Mr. Alado Lawrence, best performing LLB student who attained a 1st Class degree.***

Lawrence is number four in a family of 6 children born to Mr. Okio Patrick (businessman) and Mrs. Angom Juspine Okio (a farmer).

In his words, he hopes to specialize in International Law; his inspiration is the environment he witnessed in his community following the Kony insurgence and war which lasted over a decade. The situation was dire with families separated, displaced communities, abduction of children, deaths and widespread poverty in the region.

When asked if he thought he would perform highly when he joined SoL, he said, ‘initially no, because everyone said the LLB was hard. However, he worked hard and got the results’. I am grateful to the support from my father and mother, lecturers and collegiality of fellow classmates, he added.

His message to other students, “Each of us, by taking actions in our lives, can achieve impossible results. Our dreams are not beyond reach and by diligence and determination, we can not only accomplish them but even exceed them. Therefore, I encourage every dreamer to take relentless action and never give up. Everything is possible to whoever believes it so”.

Best Female Graduand: Nakalema Stella Maris

Nakalema Stella Maris is a cheerful lady with a twinkle in her eye, she emerged the best performing female student for the LLB attaining a Second Class Upper with a CGPA of 4.26 out of 5.00.

Stella Maris hails from Buvuma District, the 3rd child among 4 children born to Mr. Nsubuga William (an Economist) and Ms. Nagujja Judith (a teacher).

Ms. Nakalema Stella Maris, best performing female LLB student. 75th Graduation Ceremony, Day 1, CoCIS, CEES, CoVAB and School of Law. 13th January 2025, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Ms. Nakalema Stella Maris, best performing female LLB student.***

Her message to other students, “Success in law school is not just about talent but about consistency, discipline, and resilience. My journey has taught me the importance of hard work, collaboration, and learning from others. To my fellow students, remember that every challenge is an opportunity to grow, and every setback is a lesson in disguise. Don’t fear the challenges; embrace them. Don’t aim for perfection; aim for progress. Stay curious, remain humble, and never lose sight of the values that make you passionate about the law. Together, we can inspire change and build a better society. The best is yet to come!”

Congratulations to all the SoL high performers, a further 13 LLB graduands also attained Second Class Upper.