Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) female campus emerged as the winner of this year’s annual moot court on health and human rights on Friday, defeating seventeen other law schools involved in the competition.
The thirteenth moot court of its kind to be organized by the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), this year’s competition was themed on reproductive and gender justice and how to navigate constitutional rights, public interest and social norms.
Fort Portal-based Uganda Pentecostal University was the second runner-up in the competition, which Court of Appeal Judge Justice Eva Luswata, who was part of the five-member panel chaired by Retired Justice Martin Egonda Ntende, described as critical, considering that the sexuality of teenagers remains a very controversial issue.
The students argued a hypothetical case involving a minor struggling with access to contraceptives, and the judge noted that there are currently no proper laws in place, and yet the issue is tangled with a lot of cultural controversies. “Access to contraceptives for minors should be viewed alongside cultural and societal values”, she said.
The students were tested for both legal knowledge and understanding of how to package submissions associated with sensitive social norms in submissions made orally.
Noor Nakibuuka Musisi, the Deputy Executive Director at CEHURD, told journalists on the sidelines of the event that the hypothetical moot court problem to be debated is usually informed by what is being seen as a challenge in practice.
She said health law and policy remains an optional course unit in law school and, because of this, some of the students get to leave university without interacting with such issues, which makes it difficult for them to litigate such a case when they appear before judges later on in practice.
Officials attending the event said that while the competition has ended, the learning and confidence built through the Moot should continue until they join the courtroom.
Constitutional Court Judge Geofry Wilfred Kiryabwire, who was on the Moot panel, said law students should start attending real court early enough while still in school, noting that a university recently asked to be part of court and was allowed to ask questions after the session. He said such practice helps young lawyers not only build confidence but also learn court decorum.
Giving her remarks about the competition, Acting IGG Justice Aisha Naluze Batala observed that many of the competitors did paper presentations more than trial presentation that’s usually interactive and more interesting. She said organizers of moots need to start bringing coaches on board so that students can get a real feel for actual courts-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
