Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, acting on the advice of the country’s Judicial Service Commission, recently appointed 16 judges of the High Court in acting capacity for two years.
Among the justices were Faridah Shamilah Bukirwa and Celia Nagawa, the first female Muslim judges.
The Principal Judge, Dr Flavian Zeija, earlier this month deployed Justice Bukirwa to Jinja High Court and Justice Nagawa to the Family Division.
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While swearing in the new judges last week, Justice Minister Norbert Mao commended President Museveni for ensuring that there was religious, regional and gender balance in his appointments.
Justice Faridah Bukirwa, prior to her appointment, was an advocate of the High Court, working in the legal department of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) since March 2010.
While at the NCHE, Justice Bukirwa’s work involved civil litigation of the institution in the Supreme Court and all Courts of Judicature. She also participated in the drafting of the proposed amendments to the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act (2006).
Between 2008 and 2009, she obtained a Master in Laws (LLM International Commercial Law) from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Between 2005 and 2007, she obtained a diploma from the Institute for Management of Information Systems (IMIS).
She is also a graduate of Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University between 1998 and 2002. She also has ICSA from UK.
Justice Celia Nagawa, before her new assignment, was an enrolled advocate and commissioner for oaths and notary public with 17 years’ experience in legal practice.
She holds a Master of Laws Degree from the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, which she obtained in 2005. She did a Post Graduate Diploma in legal practice from Law Development Centre (2000/2001) and a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University [2000].
Justice Nagawa also holds a certificate from the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.
Ms Nagawa has served in both public and private sectors at national and international level. For example, she served as an advocate at Nagawa Associated Advocates and Makerere University Business School as the deputy director of legal services.
Ms Nagawa has also done work for Ssekaana Associated Advocates and Consultants, SPRING-USAID project, InterMedia New York, and TearFund UK in Uganda. (Ugandan Monitor)
