The Jessup moot competitions is the world’s largest moot court competition with participants from roughly 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions. 

In order for different countries to participate in this global competition, there are national rounds that are held at the country level before elevating to the international level.

UCU students celebrating after being declared winners.

Uganda held the national rounds of the 2022 Jessup moot competition last Friday at Makerere University law school where the winning team was chosen to represent the country at the international competition in Washington DC in the United States.
 
Four teams from four different institutions participated in these competitions. Each team consisted of five people. 

The teams included Kampala International University, Makerere University, Uganda Christian University (UCU) and the justice defenders. Makerere and UCU were the two teams that managed to make it to the finals. 

Benson Mayanja of Makerere University was awarded the Best Oralist Award for the 2022 National Jessup Rounds.

The team from UCU emerged victorious and will be representing the country in Washington DC in the United States. Elizabeth Tumwebaze, the UCU law society president, commended all the participants in the competitions for the efforts they put in.

“Watching those participants present showed that they had invested research and so much time into the preparation, I wish UCU the very best, such that they can raise higher the banner of Uganda at the international level,” Tumwebaze said. 

Benson Mayanja of Makerere University who was awarded the best oralist award for the 2022 National Jessup Rounds of Uganda says that even though his team did not emerge as the victors, they did very well which is reflected in the fact that they managed to score the best memorial marks in the nation, and they also managed to take hold of the best oralist award.  

“It is unfortunate to Makerere that the judges felt that the team from UCU was the best, but we wish them the best and we hope that when they go to represent us at the international rounds in Washington DC, they will do this nation justice and represent us well,” Benson Mayanja said.  

One of the participants in these competitions, Titus Makuma from UCU says however much the competitions were challenging, they groomed their skills of researching and working as a team. 

“it’s a dream come true for us to represent the country at the international level,” Titus Makuma said.