Dr. Erasma Demeris Rutechura
Dean, Law School
Message from the Dean
It is an absolute privilege to lead one of the best law schools in the world. UTAMU Law School is a deeply values-driven school, where excellence and humanity are twinned at the heart of our foundations and our priorities. UTAMU Law School is well-positioned to address the major challenges of our time, from the rapid technological advances transforming legal practice to the heightened polarization straining legal and political institutions. We are a hub for exploring critical issues on local, national, and global levels, and we are dedicated to empowering our students and graduates to engage deeply in crucial conversations while contributing to reforms that address our most pressing problems.
Law pervades the most pressing issues facing our world. Whether working in a prestigious law firm or the public sector, lawyers are at the forefront of fighting for criminal justice and civil rights, safeguarding privacy and data security, protecting the environment and economic rights, or defending free speech, religious rights, and democracy itself. In every field, lawyers play a pivotal role in shaping our society. Diverse perspectives about the law, bringing together new ideas and testing others rigorously and respectfully, leads to better knowledge and better understanding of law and legal systems.
UTAMU Law School was established in 2022 to provide unparalleled opportunities to study law in a rigorous, vibrant, and collaborative environment. The school is mandated to undertake legal training, research and innovation. The school is premised on the notion that theory cannot be separated from practice. Our Bachelor of Laws (LLB) curriculum integrates practical experience, professional responsibility, and lawyering skills with doctrinal study at every level. What forms the core of our lawyering curriculum are the skills recognized by the legal profession as essential to successful law practice: problem solving, legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, factual investigation, communication (legal writing, oral argument), counseling, negotiation, litigation and alternative dispute-resolution, culturally competent practice protocols, organization and management of legal work, and recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas. We believe that studying law at the UTAMU Law School will go beyond choosing one of the most prestigious and comprehensive legal educations in Uganda.
Mission
To provide students with a well-adjusted, appropriate legal and professional experience, quality qualifications as well as comparable legal skills that can prepare them to contribute ominously to the contemporary national, regional and international law development.
Vision
An excellent law school within a world class schools of law, ready to acquire new skills in embracing technology for an open mind.
Core Values
In order to achieve the aims above, the Uganda Management And Technology University L.L.B Programme shall be guided by the following core values:
- Transparency
- Professionalism
- Integrity
- Empowerment
- Community Engagement
- Creativity
Administrative Organizational Structure
| KEY | |
|---|---|
| AA | Assistant Accountant |
| AL | Assistant Librarian |
| AQAO | Assistant Quality Assurance Officer |
| AR | Academic Registrar |
| AS | Academic Staff |
| DCEL | Department of Commercial and Economic Law |
| DPPL | Department of Public and Private Law |
| DIRIL | Department of International and Regional Integration Law |
| DJPCL | Department of Jurisprudence, Procedural and Comparative Law |
| MENRLC | Manager Environmental and Natural Resources Law Centre |
| MICTLC | Manager ICT and Law Centre |
| MMCC | Manager Moot Court Centre |
| MCLEC | Manager Clinical Legal Education Centre |
| HOD | Head of Department |
| HRO | Human Resource Officer |
| LS | Law School |
| OASA | Office Assistant in charge of Student Affairs |
| SL | Senior Librarian |
| SOA | Secretary / Office Assistant |
| SR | Senior Registrar |
| ROA | Receptionist / Office Assistant |
The staff in the academic departments and centres will comprise of staff at the rank of teaching assistant, assistant lecturer, lecturer, senior lecturer, associate professor and professor.
The administrative staff in the law school will mainly be seconded by the Office of the University Secretary (US), Office of the Academic Registrar (AR), Office of the University Controller (UC) and the Office of the University Librarian (UL).
There are four (4) departments under the Law School, namely: Department of Commercial and Economic Law, Department of Public and Private Law, Department of International and Regional Integration Law and Department of Jurisprudence, Procedural and Comparative Law. Each department shall be responsible for teaching, learning, research, innovation and community engagement under its mandate.
The Law School will initially have four (4) centres, namely: the Moot Court Centre, The ICT and Law Centre, the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Centre and the Clinical Legal Education Centre. Other centres will be established as the need arises.
Moot Court Centre
Moot Court is the special practical centre to impart practical training on the application of the law. The Director of the centre will ensure this unique aspect of the LLB Degree programme is well covered. Further, the director of the centre will also ensure that the Law School participates in numerous moot completions at national, regional and international level.
Among the Moots competitions will be the African Human Rights Moot Court Competition which is the largest gathering of students, academics and judges around the theme of human rights in Africa. This annual event brings together all law faculties/schools in Africa, whose top students argue a hypothetical human rights case as if they were before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Competition continuously prepares new generations of lawyers to argue cases of alleged human rights violations before the African Court. Since its creation, 175 universities from 50 African countries have taken part in this permanent fixture on the Africa legal education calendar. The Moot has been a catalyst for the establishment of the leading programmes in the field of human rights teaching and research in Africa.
Moots competitions have over the years been an invaluable human rights platform for thousands of law students, academics and human rights activists across the continent. The competitions have fostered lasting relationships and networks that have shaped the regional legal community.
The Law School via this unit will participate and attain outstanding performance in the following moot court competitions:
- All African Human rights Moot Court Competitions
- Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
- Save the children Moot Court Competition
ICT and Law Centre
This centre will be responsible for imparting ICT skills on the students and staff in the law school. It will also be responsible for undertaking research in ICT law and teaching courses at the interface of ICT and law. The ICT laws will include domestic and international laws that regulate electronic transactions and activity in digital space. The centre will also offer continuous legal education on the use of ICT legal systems that support electronic case hearings, electronic filing, delivery of electronic judgements, and electronic libraries, electronic supervision, and access to e-resources among others. It will also support electronic learning for law students in the UTAMU e-learning platform.
Environmental and Natural Resources Law Centre
The Environmental and Natural Resources Center is committed to innovation in environmental and natural resources legal education. It will be responsible for courses and research in public interest environmental law, and plans to put in place an environmental and natural resources law clinic.
Clinical Legal Education Centre
Clinical Legal Education Centre focuses on supporting students to learn substantive law and practice in the context of real and/or simulated problems or cases.
Certificate in Administrative Law
Certificate in Legal Writing and Drafting
Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Literacy
Postgraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence
Master of Laws in Natural Resources Law
Master of Laws in International and Regional Integration Law
Master of Laws in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law
UTAMU provides staff development opportunities at PhD level on the UTAMU-MUST PhD programme where students are trained at UTAMU and graduate from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). In 2024, UTAMU plans to recruit 5 PhD students in law to be supervised by UTAMU staff holding LLD as part of staff development. UTAMU plans to secure scholarships for more staff to train within Uganda and abroad at PhD level in LLD.
Within the country there is enough pool of LLM holders. UTAMU will also carry out inhouse capacity building programmes for various staff working in the law school.
| Academic Staff | |||
| Name | Highest Qualification | Academic Rank | Contract |
| PhD Holders | |||
| Dr. Erasma Rutechura | PhD in Oil and Gas Law (Ocean University of China) Master of Laws (Southampton Solent University) Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice Bachelor of Laws (Mzumbe University) | Senior Lecturer | Full time |
| Dr. Shadat Ssemakula Mohamed Mutyaba | PhD (Brunel, London) MPhil (Aberystwyth), LLM (Kingston, London) LPC (Inns of Court) LLB (Kingston, London) | Senior Lecturer | Full time |
Dr. Namae Irene
| Doctor of Juridical Science, SJD Degree, University of Arizona Master of Laws (LLM), University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Makerere University PGD Legal Practice, LDC | Lecturer | Full time |
| LLM Holders | |||
| Mr. Abel Obua | LLM (IUIU) DLP (Law Development Centre, LDC) LLB (Makerere University) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Bwogi Patra | LLM (University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) DLP (Law Development Centre) LLB (UCU) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Kajja Timothy | Master of Laws (Regional Integration and East African Community Law), (2022-2023) University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (2020-2021), Law Development Centre Diploma in Risk Management (2023) Alison Bachelor of Laws (2015-2019) Uganda Christian University (UCU) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Nabwiso Alex | LLM (Makerere University) DLP (Law Development Centre) LLB (IUIU) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Tusiime Angella | LLM (Makerere University) DLP (Law Development Centre) LLB (Makerere University) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Ms. Nakasaga Rashida | LLM (IUIU) DLP (Law Development Centre LDC) LLB (Makerere University) | Lecturer | Full time |
Atwebembeire Blair
| LLM (Makerere University) DLP (Law Development Centre) LLB (KIU) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Rwandarugali Phiona | LLM (Makerere University DLP (Law Development Centre LLB (Makerere University) | Lecturer | Full time |
Stephen Nelson
| LLM, University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania DLP, Law Development Centre (LDC), Uganda LLB, Nkumba University | Lecturer | Full time |
| Rutaro Robert | LLM (Aberdeen University UK) DLP (Law Development Centre) LLB (Makerere University) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Bakurumpaji Kelvin | LLM (University of Dar Es Salaam Tanzania) DLP (Law Development Centre LLB (Makerere University) | Lecturer | Full time |
| Timothy Amanya | LLM, University of the Western Cape DLP, Law Development Centre (LDC), Uganda LLB, Nkumba University | Lecturer | Full time |
| Nimrod Katabarwa Blacko | Master of Laws (Commercial Law), Kampala International University Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (2021-2022), Law Development Centre Bachelor of Laws, (2016-2020) Kampala International University Bachelor of Business Administration (2002-2005), Makerere University | Lecturer | Full time |
| Ms. Nakitende Fatiinah | Master of Laws 2022-2025, Makerere University Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (2020-2022), Law Development Centre Bachelor of Laws, (2009-2013), Makerere University | Lecturer | Full time |
| Adjunct Staff | |||
| Dr. Anthony Tony Kakooza | Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D) in Intellectual Property and Cyber Law, University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, U.S.A Master of Laws (LLM) in International Economic Law (majoring in International Intellectual Property Law, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom PGD in Legal Practice, Law Development Centre, Kampala, Uganda Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons), Makerere University | Associate Professor | Adjunct |
Dr. Esther Christine kisubi
| PhD in Law, Kampala International University (2024) - Natural Resources law Master of Laws (LLM), Kampala International University (2010) -Specialized in Public international law Diploma in Legal Practice, (2007) LDC Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Kampala International University (2006) Diploma in Secondary Education, Kyambogo University (2001) | Senior Lecturer | Adjunct |
| Dr. Joyce Nalunga Birimumaaso | PhD in Business Administration, Ndejje University Master of Arts: Public Administration, Ndejje University - Uganda Master of Laws (Oil and Gas): Law, Uganda Christian University - Uganda Diploma in Legal Practice, Law Development Centre, Kampala | Lecturer | Adjunct |
| Dr. Paul Mukiibi | Doctorate of Laws (LLD) in ICT Law, University of Western Cape, South Africa PhD in Law and ICT, Awaiting graduation from University of Western Cape Masters in Higher Education Management and Administration Masters in International Trade, Policy and Law, Uganda Martyrs University MBA, Uganda Management Institute LLM, Makerere University DLP, Law Development Centre LLB, Makerere University CCNA, Makerere University | Senior Lecturer | Adjunct |
UTAMU Law Society will be a society of law students at UTAMU but is not part of the administrative structure of the Law School. This Society is the major channel to enhance extra curriculum activities allied with the Law School. The society will be governed by the President who will be elected by all students registered under the Law School. The society leadership will highly participate in preparation and administration of the Law School’s internal projects including legal aid services, UTAMU community day, and the School outreach and community services programmes.
Welcome to the UTAMU Law Library – hybrid in nature, covering various law aspects like Constitutional law, Land, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, Oil and Gas Law, Acts, Laws of Uganda, Laws of East Africa among others. The Library holds various databases like; African Legal Information Institute (for legal research across African borders), GOALI (over 16,000 resources from over 70 publishers), JSTOR covering back issues in Law plus recent law textbooks). More details Law Resources – UTAMU plus an African law digital library with over 10,000 records. The print collection can be accessed online via the Library Catalogue. Should you need further assistance, please do contact the library at ul@utamu.ac.ug
UTAMU is now a member of the International Association of Law Schools. The International Association of Law Schools is a private, non-political, non-profit, volunteer, collaborative, learned society dedicated to serving the worldwide legal education community. It is an association of more than 250 law schools and departments from over 60 countries representing more than 12,000 law faculty members. Our primary mission is the improvement of legal education throughout the world.