Bamugemereire and Maraga Law Firms Set for KIU Moot Court Grand Finale

By Hattie Wright

Main Campus: Kampala International University (KIU) School of Law, through its Department of Clinical Legal Education, has advanced Bamugemereire & Co Advocates and Maraga & Co Advocates to the grand finale of the second edition of the Annual Al Hajj Dr. Hassan Basajjabalaba Inter-Firm Moot Court Competition. 

The two firms qualified after three days of preliminary rounds held under the theme “Cross-Border Legal Practice.”

Bamugemereire & Co Advocates topped the standings with 168 points (84%), followed by Maraga & Co Advocates with 163 points (81.5%). The two firms will face off in the grand finale on Monday, November 16th, 2026, at the KIU Moot Court.

The competition brings together Bachelor of Laws (LLB) students from the KIU Student Law Firms to develop practical legal skills through simulated proceedings involving complex disputes across different jurisdictions.

Held from Monday, November 9th to Wednesday, November 11th, 2026, the preliminary rounds exposed students to five areas of cross-border legal practice: Global Health and Medical Law; International Trade and Investment Law; Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Data Protection Law; Animal, Wildlife and Biodiversity Law; and Sports, Media and Entertainment Law.

Each participating firm fielded an applicant team and a respondent team of three students each, who argued both sides of a fictional legal dispute. The sessions covered client interviews, case planning, witness presentation, documentary evidence and oral advocacy. Experienced legal practitioners and academics presided over the proceedings and gave the students professional feedback.

The presiding experts included Paul Wasswa, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Uganda and Lecturer at the Law Development Centre, and Sheila Muheki, Lecturer at KIU School of Law. They sat alongside a panel of legal practitioners comprising Maria Kate Nanyonga, Rodrick Aryamanya, Joel Peter Namugera and Ritah Babirye. Other presiding officers were Dr. Olawunmi Opeyemi Obisesan, Head of the Department of Clinical Legal Education; Professor Ismail Adebowale Hassan, Professor of Law at KIU School of Law; and Jonathan Areeba.

Other firms in the preliminary standings were Kamasanyu & Co Advocates with 131 points (65.5%), Charles Peter Mayiga & Co Advocates with 130 points (65%) and Fatou Bensouda & Co Advocates with 124 points (62%).

The grand finale will be an international commercial arbitration moot. Maraga & Co Advocates will represent the claimant against Bamugemereire & Co Advocates as respondents in the fictional Solar-Grid Supply Dispute before the Meridian International Arbitration Centre.

Through the competition, KIU School of Law continues to strengthen practical legal education by equipping students with competencies in client counselling, legal research, evidence handling, advocacy, teamwork and professional conduct.

The initiative reinforces the University’s commitment to producing ethical, competent and practice-ready legal professionals capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly interconnected global legal environment.