By KT Reporter
Two newly appointed High Court Judges, Charles Kasibayo and Andrew Khauka, made their first public appearance on Wednesday by presiding over Makerere University’s 12th Moot Court session. The session offered law students a hands-on courtroom experience, simulating a real court environment.
The more than five-hour session was led by the two new Judges alongside Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga of the Anti-Corruption Court, who chaired the panel. Justice Kajuga has served in the Judiciary since 2019. During the exercise, third-year law students, donned in gowns, role-played as professional lawyers in a hypothetical case.
The fictional matter, argued before the High Court of Malongo, featured students acting as representatives of both the applicants and the government—named the Republic of Malongo for learning purposes. One of the standout participants, student Gift Kirabo, applied to join the case as amicus curiae—a friend of court.
The lead applicant, dubbed Medi Protect All, sued the fictional Attorney General of Malongo for alleged failure to uphold socio-economic rights, especially in budgeting and financing for social justice. The students also debated legal issues surrounding the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2023. This bill, currently before Uganda’s Parliament, seeks to regulate assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF.
It proposes frameworks for rights and responsibilities, gamete and embryo donation, and the protection of children born through such technologies. However, student Edmund Katungi, acting as the Attorney General of Malongo, objected to the amicus curiae application. Observers said Kirabo, known for his bold voice and confidence, appeared visibly nervous and subdued before the real judges—a sign of the seriousness the moot court inspired.
Although the presiding judges acted under the fictional Malongo jurisdiction, they took the opportunity to correct students on courtroom etiquette, helping them understand the do’s and don’ts in actual court proceedings. Makerere University School of Law Dean, Associate Professor Ronald Naluwairo, said this was the 12th clinical legal education moot organized by the school.
He emphasized that such initiatives help bridge the gap between theory and practice, with students researching real-life-inspired cases and arguing them before sitting judges. The Law School, he added, offers several programs—including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees—as well as projects such as the Refugee Law Project, the Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC), Business Law Clinic, and the Environmental Law Centre.
These initiatives aim at justice delivery while enhancing student learning. Prof. Naluwairo revealed plans to increase the number of moots to at least three annually to expand oral advocacy training and involve more judges in the process.
The broader goal, he said, is to build a critical mass of students well-versed in social justice, the rule of law, and democracy. Law School Lecturer Prof. Christopher Mbaziira said the moot court experience has helped students internalize court decorum, particularly in the new facility dedicated to such training.
Prof. Mbaziira noted that the moots also support comparative legal analysis, especially on emerging legislative issues like the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill. He said the school is working to revamp legal education in Uganda with more practical, clinical teaching methodologies-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
