Who will be Uganda's next chief justice?

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Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo’s position is up for grabs. He is set for retirement on January 18 next year.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a statutory body in charge of recruiting judicial officers in the country, has since advertised the position ahead of his retirement.

Born on January 18, 1956, Owiny-Dollo will celebrate his 70th birthday, the retirement age for both Supreme Court and Court of Appeal justices on January 18, 2025, marking an end to his judicial career that started in 2008 when he was appointed a High Court judge by President Yoweri Museveni.

Several senior Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges are looking forward to replacing him and will be tussling in the ring.

These include Mike Chibita, Catherine Bamugemereire, Monica Mugenyi, Muzamir Kibeedi, Prof. Lilian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, Christopher Izama Madrama, Geoffrey Kiryabwire and Dr Flavian Zeija, the current deputy chief justice.

Article 143(1) of the Constitution states that a person shall be qualified for appointment as Chief Justice if they have served as a justice of the Supreme Court or of a court having a similar jurisdiction of have practised as an advocate for not less than 20 years before a court having unlimited jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters.

The applicants have until October 20 this year to lodge their applications with the JSC, expressing interest in the coveted position.

The applicants are required to submit their applications digitally (on JSC e-mail) to the secretary JSC, Dr Rose Nassali Lukwago, as a single Portable Document Format (PDF) document.

“Applicants for this post should attach either four written judgments or four submissions or four legal publications or four legal opinions where applicable,” the advert reads in part.

The applicants are also supposed to attach a certified copy of the latest declaration of income, assets and liabilities from the Inspectorate of Government.

According to the advert, the applicants must be holders of an ordinary level certificate, an advanced level certificate, a bachelor’s degree in law and a diploma in legal practice, although post-graduate qualifications and demonstrable digital skills is an added advantage.

Procedurally, after receiving the applications, the JSC is supposed to conduct interviews and the names of the successful candidates are forwarded to the President to choose the next chief justice.

After choosing the name, the President forwards it to Parliament for vetting, followed by a swearing ceremony for the new chief justice to assume office. The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary.

Who are the potential candidates?

Justice Mike Chibita

• He was born on April 30, 1963, at Buwesa village in Butaleja district.
• He attended Buwesa Primary School for his elementary level and later joined King’s College Buddo for his secondary education. He then joined Makerere University, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws. He later joined the Law Development Centre for his post-graduate diploma in law.
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• Chibita also holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Iowa in the United States of America.
• He served as a lecturer of international relations and African history at Northwestern College in America.
• In 1994, he joined the Attorney General’s chambers as a state attorney. He was later appointed by President Yoweri Museveni as his private secretary in charge of legal affairs.
• He joined the Judiciary in 2008 after being appointed a High Court judge by the President. In August 2013, he was appointed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In December 2019, he was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court.
• With his experience and closeness to power, Chibita is among the potential contenders to become the next chief justice.

Catherine Bamugemereire

• Bamugemereire was born in Bubulo, in the then Mbale District (now Manafwa District) in the 1970s.
• She holds a Bachelor's of Laws awarded in 1992 by Makerere University.
• In 2003, she attained a Master of Laws in Comparative Law and International Law from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, US.

Catherine Bamugemereire

• Bamugemereire first worked in 1993 as a State Attorney in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs based in Arua district.
• She was later appointed a magistrate grade one and rose through the ranks up to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.
• In 2001, Bamugemereire took leave from the bench and became a legal adviser to Shell Mexico LPG in Mexico City.
• In 2003, she relocated to the United Kingdom and worked as an associate lecturer at the University of Surrey for seven years.
• In 2010, he was appointed a High Court judge.
• Bamugemereire has chaired three national investigations in matters of corruption in government departments, including the Commission of Inquiry into land matters, which made her popular.
• Others include a tribunal that examined Kampala Capital City Authority that led to the impeachment of Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and the inquiry into the Uganda National Roads Authority.

Ekirikubinza

• Ekirikubinza holds a PhD in law from the University of Copenhagen. 
• She joined the judiciary in July 2013 as a justice of the Court of Appeal. She is a highly experienced and widely researched legal scholar in judicial and legal matters.
• Before joining the judiciary, Ekirikubinza was a professor of law at Makerere University.

Prof. Lilian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza

• Born in 1961, Ekirikubinza is the most experienced justice of the Supreme Court. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from Makerere University and a diploma in legal practice from Law Development Centre.
• Ekirikubinza wrote the majority judgment against the re-appointment of ex-chief justice Benjamin Odoki. Ekirikubinza and the group ruled that “there is no single provision in the Constitution that provides for the re-appointment of a retired Chief Justice.”

Muzamir Kibeedi

• Born in 1967, Kibeedi is the first ever muslim to climb up to the Supreme Court in the history of the judiciary.
• Before his ascension to the bench, Kibeedi was in private legal practice for over 26 years, dating back to 1993.
• Kibeedi holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from Makerere University and a diploma in legal practice from Law Development Centre. He was praised for his quality judgments.

Christopher Madrama

• Born in 1962, Madrama started his legal career as a state attorney in the Attorney General’s chambers.
• In 1999, Madrama left the justice ministry and joined the Law Development Centre as a senior legal officer.

Christopher Madrama

• From 2001 until 2010, Madrama was a Principal Legal Associate at Katende Ssempebwa and Company Advocates. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court in June 2010. He was later elevated to the Court of Appeal. In October 2022, he was promoted to the Supreme Court. Madrama is also the chairperson of the LDC management committee.

Monica Mugenyi

• Mugenyi holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from Makerere University and a master’s of laws in International trade from the University of Essex in US.
• Prior to her ascension to the bench, she was in private practice at Mugenyi and Company Advocates and had served as the manager of corporate services at the Uganda Road Fund.

Monica Mugenyi

• In June 2010, Mugenyi was appointed by the President as a judge of the High Court. At the High Court, she was seconded to the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), where she served as the Principal Judge.  
• In 2019, the President elevated her to the Court of Appeal and in 2024, she was promoted to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

Dr Flavian Zeija

• Zeija is the current Deputy Chief Justice. Before, he served as the Principal Judge.
• Born on February 18, 1969

Principal Judge Dr. Flavian Zeija

• Holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Makerere University, a master’s of laws degree also from Makerere University and a degree of doctor of philosophy in law from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. 
• He started out in 1998 as a legal assistant with Kwesigabo, Bamwine, Walubiri and Company Advocates.
• At the time he was appointed to the High Court of Uganda, he served as the managing partner at Zeija, Mukasa and Company Advocates. 

Geoffrey Kiryabwire

• He is a justice of the Court of Appeal. 
• Prior to that, he served as a judge of the Commercial Division of the High Court. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University and a master of laws from the University of London.
• From 1991 until 1992, he served as a legal assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General the late Abu Mayanja.

Geoffrey Kiryabwire

• From 1992 until 1994, he served as a senior state attorney for civil litigation in the office of the Solicitor General.
• From 1993 until 1999, he served as the company secretary and legal counsel at Pan World Insurance Company Limited (PWICO).
• Between 1999 and 2003, he was the acting general manager and chief executive officer at PWICO.
• He was appointed as a judge in the Commercial Division of the High Court of Uganda in 2003.
• During his legal career, he has been a participant in four national commissions of inquiry.
• Kiryabwire has caused a number of innovations in the Judiciary, including the small claims procedure, among others.