Law
Mak 76th Graduation kicks off: SoL hailed as a Centre of academic Excellence
The School of Law (SoL) presented a total of 362 graduands for conferment of degrees on Day 1 of the 76th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere University. The graduands included 3 Doctor of Laws (LLD), 71 Master of Laws (LLM) and 288 Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
Doctor of Laws were awarded to Lydia Namateefu Kisekka, Oscar Kambona and Aimé Fidèle Ndayishimiye. Master of Laws were awarded to 26 female and 45 male while the Bachelor of Laws awardees were 124 female and 164 male.
Nuwamanya Raymond Jerry and Aijuka Allan attained first class degrees for the LLB with CGPA of 4.42 and 4.41 respectively.
For Day 1, School of Law, College of Education and External Studies, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Computing and Information Sciences presented graduands for conferment of degrees and award of diplomas. The 76th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere University will continue till Friday 27th February 2026.
Speaking to the congregation, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe – Vice Chancellor, Makerere University welcomed everyone to Makerere University’s 76th Graduation. He congratulated the 9,295 graduands comprising 4,262 (46%) female graduates and 5,033 (54%) male graduands who will be awarded degrees and diplomas through the graduation week; 213 graduands are PhD recipients. He commended the efforts of staff, parents, and sponsors in supporting the students’ journeys.
In his remarks, Professor Nawangwe praised the milestones of Makerere’s Colleges and Schools, highlighting the School of Law as a distinguished centre of academic excellence in legal education, training and scholarship. ‘In the 2025, pre-entry examinations for the Law Development Centre post-graduate bar course, 94% of our students who sat the exams, passed and were admitted. The performance reflects not only the intellectual caliber of our students, but also the School’s rigorous curriculum and commitment of the faculty’, he noted.
The Vice Chancellor congratulated the School of Law and student teams that excelled at the Phillip C. Jessup Moot Competition and Boston International Innovation Moot; the teams will represent Uganda at international rounds of the competitions due to take place in Washington DC, USA and Vienna, Austria respectively later in the year. Professor Nawangwe said, ‘The accomplishments reinforces the School’s growing reputation as a leader in mooting, legal research and scholarship. The students’ performances exhibit excellent advocacy skills as well as deep analytical skills in public international law and team work’.
Prof. Nawangwe reiterated the University’s transformation to a research-led institution expressing appreciation to the Government of Uganda for providing critical resources supporting more than 1,400 high-impact research and innovation projects. He highlighted some of the on-going projects at various colleges which have empowered researchers and innovators to deepen Makerere University’s contribution to national development priorities. Mentioned projects included: “Healthy Soy” initiative to combat child malnutrition amid climate change; Scaled innovative cocoa fermentation technology, with over 70% adoption among farmers in major cocoa-producing districts; fully digital Public Universities Joint Admissions (PUJAB) process via ACMIS, cutting admissions costs by over 50% among others.
Addressing graduands, Professor Nawangwe encouraged them to embrace entrepreneurship, uphold integrity, and serve society with distinction. Graduates were also invited to participate in the upcoming Makerere University Careers Fair scheduled for March 11–13, 2026, to facilitate transition into the workplace. ‘As you leave the gates of Makerere, always be proud of your Alma Mater and be good ambassadors wherever you’, he urged the graduates.
Professor Nicholas Ozor, the Executive Director of the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), Nairobi-Kenya delivered the commencement speech on Day 1 of the graduation. He advised the graduands that ‘beyond your disciplines, character will outlive your certificate, your integrity will open doors your degree cannot, your humility will teach you lessons success never will, your resilience will matter more than your grades, and you will fail at times but let failure refine you—not define you’.
He encouraged the graduands to remember five principles: Embrace lifelong learning, the world changes too fast for static knowledge; Choose purpose over comfort, impact matters more than income; Build character before career, skills get you hired, character sustains you; Serve something larger than yourself, give back to your communities and your country; and believe in Africa—and act, do not wait for solutions from elsewhere, be the solution.
To the Parents and Guardians, Professor Ozor said, ‘Today, you graduate too, your sacrifices—financial, emotional, and spiritual—are written into every certificate awarded. Thank you for believing when it was difficult, for supporting when it was inconvenient, and for hoping when the future seemed uncertain’.
Delivering a speech on behalf of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, the State Minister for Primary Education, Hon. Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, said the Government had deliberately deepened investment in higher education to position universities as drivers of national development.
Hon. Kaducu described the establishment of the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) as a major milestone, noting that it supports high-impact research aligned to national priorities and has enabled thousands of researchers to deliver practical solutions benefiting communities across Uganda. She also highlighted Parliament’s approval of a 162 million US dollar concessional loan from the Korea EXIM Bank to upgrade science, technology and innovation infrastructure at Makerere University, including modern laboratories, smart classrooms and advanced facilities for engineering and health sciences, to better prepare students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The minister announced plans to construct a national stadium at Makerere and other higher education institutions to promote sports development and talent identification. She reiterated the directive for all universities to fully implement Competence-Based Education and Training by July 2027, urging Makerere to lead curriculum reform, staff training and infrastructure development while ensuring satellite campuses meet full accreditation and uphold academic standards, transparency and accountability.
Addressing graduates, Hon. Kaducu encouraged them to become job creators in sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare and education, and to leverage opportunities like the Parish Development Model for entrepreneurship. She commended Makerere’s leadership and partners and congratulated the Class of 2026 on their achievement.
In his address to the congregation, Dr. Chrispus Kiyonga – Chancellor, Makerere University congratulated graduands upon making it to the 76th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere University. He described their achievement as a milestone in both personal growth and national development, urging them to apply their knowledge creatively to benefit society. He acknowledged the contribution of academic staff, administrators, the University Council, and expressed gratitude to the Government of Uganda and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for continued support.
Dr. Kiyonga called on the university community to strengthen research, expand private sector partnerships, and leverage technology to address Uganda’s development challenges. Emphasising research as central to national progress, Dr. Kiyonga noted the Government’s UGX 30 billion investment annually in the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (MakRIF) and praised the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat, Office of the President for supporting initiatives at the University advancing homegrown solutions to national challenges. He also highlighted a strengthened partnership with the Korean government, securing a USD 162 million loan from the Korea Exim Bank to boost infrastructure and staff capacity.
While acknowledging limited formal employment opportunities, he encouraged graduates to innovate and create jobs. He further commended the university’s digitalization efforts and outlined four priorities: increased research funding, private sector collaboration, community engagement, and effective use of technology. During the 76th graduation ceremony running from the 24th -27th February, 2026, a total of 9,295 graduands will be awarded degrees and diplomas in various disciplines. Of these, 213 will receive PhDs, 2,503 Masters Degrees, 206 postgraduate Diplomas, 6,343 Bachelor’s Degrees and 30 Diplomas. 46% of the graduands are female and 54% are male.
The Public Interest Law (PILAC) held its 13th Clinical Legal Education (CLE) Moot on 14th May 2026 in the Makerere University School of Law (SoL) Moot Court Room. The CLE Moot is one of the clinical activities forming part of the experiential learning approach used by PILAC in its CLE class.
This Moot gives CLE students the opportunity to build their court advocacy skills, including case research and preparation, oratory and case presentation, court etiquette and teamwork, among others. This is in addition to exposing students to emerging areas of law and legal dilemmas that require specialised legal knowledge and talent to resolve. The uniqueness of this Moot lies in the fact that it is presided over by real judges, drawing mainly from the High Court. This is a result of the collaboration between the School of Law and the Judiciary of Uganda.
The Case and Arguments
This year, the theme of the moot was, ‘Rapid Economic Liberalisation and Urban Growth as drivers of inequity, weakened accountability, strained public infrastructure, and conflict between traders and the state’.
The Moot was presided over by a panel of three High Court Judges: Hon. Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, Hon. Justice Isa Serunkuma and Hon. Lady Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha. The moot problem focused on two unique and interrelated issues. First were legal questions around public-private partnerships and the nature of the legal obligations they impose on the state. Second, there were questions about the state’s obligations regarding human rights abuses arising from the actions of private actors under public-private partnership arrangements.
A compelling display of legal advocacy, a mock human rights enforcement petition highlighted the rising tide of climate litigation across Africa, tackling the devastating human toll of environmental disasters and the inadequacy of state responses. The fictional case centred on a catastrophic flood that destroyed local businesses, displaced scores of traders, and tragically claimed the lives of a mother and her infant child.
At the heart of the legal arguments was the state’s defence: a flat-rate compensation package that critics argued barely scratched the surface of the community’s profound losses. The petition cut straight to a definitive and increasingly urgent question facing the African continent: When climate-related disasters hit already vulnerable communities, and the state fails in its constitutional duty to protect the right to a clean and healthy environment, what does the law actually require? The answer put forward by the petitioners was unwavering: the law requires a meaningful, comprehensive remedy—not mere sympathy, and certainly not token payments.
While climate litigation in Africa is still in its infancy, legal scholars note it is growing rapidly out of sheer necessity. As environmental obligations are too often treated by governments as aspirational goals rather than enforceable duties, the courtroom is emerging as a vital arena to bridge the gap between state promises and true accountability.
Highlights of the Competition and Recognition of Best Performers
A total of 30 students participated in the Moot, under three teams: Applicants, Respondents, and Amicus. After weeks of preparations, the students wore their lawyers’ robes and had the chance to appear before the panel of judges, each presenting their arguments in a passionate and eloquent manner.
At the end of the competition, the judges gave their feedback, expressing appreciation for the level of performance and preparedness of the teams. Some were complimented for performing better than some of the advocates who appear before the judges in court. The judges also provided tips and guidance for the purpose of enabling the students to improve their performance.
In his remarks, Professor Christopher Mbazira, the PILAC Coordinator, commended the students for their hard work and appreciated the judges for taking time off their busy court dockets to support the School in skilling the young future legal professionals. Each of the judges was recognised with a plaque of appreciation.
For his exceptional performance, Mayanja Owen was named Best Oralist of the competition. The Amicus team were recognised as the winning team from the presentations. Reflecting on the weight of the subject matter, the participating students expressed deep gratitude to the judging panel, their teammates who shared the immense burden of the case, and the instructors who guided them through weeks of demanding preparations.
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