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The Law Students Association of East Africa (LSAEA) has been launched and a Ugandan student was elected as its first president.

Gideon Mwanje, 24, a student of Law at Nkumba University and the attorney general of the Nkumba University guild government, was sworn in as president of LSAEA, an umbrella body for the law students’ associations in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. They come together to interact and discuss issues concerning the law.

Mwanje will serve for one year after which he will hand over to the next president from a different country since the office is rotational among East African countries.

The event happened on Friday, July 26 at Fairway Hotel, Kampala and was officiated by Bernard Oundo, the president of the Uganda Law Society (ULS). Also in attendance were over 60 law student leaders and educators from various institutions around East Africa, including Uganda Law Students Association (ULSA), an umbrella organization that brings together Law students from accredited law teaching universities in Uganda.

According to the LSAEA constitution, a member of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) swears in the new executive and that was done by Oundo, who is also former president of EALS.

Esther Odipo Ayoo, the president of Kenya Law Students Association (KLSA), is vice president, while Rwanda's Frederic Kwihangana, the president of Rwanda Law Students Forum (RLSF), is the speaker. Tanzania's Samwel Ngelela, the president of Tanzania Students Bar Association (TASBA), is the general secretary.

Oundo implored law students to come together and benefit from cross boarder practice. He said they will enjoy a big market since they will be practicing in various jurisdictions without limitations.

Prof. Bukola Akinola, the dean school of law at Kampala International University (KIU), urged law students to not shy away from leadership.

For Mwanje, this new office means a lot to him and entire ULSA.

“I will do my best to unite law students in East Africa and ensure to bring South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia and Congo DRC on board,” he said.

Mwanje adds that his team is trying to support law students in those countries to form national law students’ associations in order to qualify them to join LSAEA.

Mwanje is a legal researcher with over 15 law blogs on the Nkumba University website. He is the founder of the Nkumba University Moot Court Society, Nkumba University Law Students Journal and Nkumba University Law School Magazine.

One of his lecturers, Dr Suzan Nakanwagi, describes him as a multi-talented young man who is hardworking, proactive, respectful and obedient.