TwoCents | THE MAK LAW SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

Around July 2022, I met Mr. Tobi Igbendion who introduced me to the Two Cents Platform. Exceited about the objectives, I got acquainted with “TWO CETS Streets” having a chance to look through various ideas, insights and experiences of various Individuals across Africa. I recently completed my Bachelor’s degree at the School of Law Makerere University graduating Magna cum Laude and I feel compelled to share my Law School Experience, the good and the bad – never had the ugly though. I joined Law School in the August 2018 as a curious young man. I had attended St. Henry’s College Kitovu – a Catholic Single Sex College run by the Brothers of Christian Instruction for my Secondary School level. I can comfirm that I had enjoyed my boyhood and teenage years at the college and I could not have waited to join University. Here I was in a new society with immense possibilities. What struck me from the first class I attended was the constant reminder to exercise the freedom of thought and expression. For anyone that has visited my country, this is rather a gold mine. The School of Law at Makerere University offers an 8 Semester course across four years teaching the fundamental theory and procedural theory of law. This would include the fundamentals of Contract and Criminal Law, the procedural aspects in civil, criminal procedures and evidence. This however as I would come to learn would not satisfy my curiosity on the law of law in a fast changing society. Whereas the neighbour principle articulated by Lord Atkin in Donoghue v Stevenson – a case of negligence in 1932 was a perfect starting, I would have to subject it to the modern concept to prove liability of an Artificial Intelligence Developer where the product went out of hand. I thought they would teach and emphasise the latter than teach the former. This is dilemma I carried to all the other units. There were opportunities to explore the roads I thought not taken. These were in the Makerere Law Journal and the Makerere Mooting Society. The Makerere Law Journal due to its flexibility in facilitating student research material as a peer reviewed Journal. The Makerere Mooting Society because some of the moots at our disposal had aspects of the modern concepts for instance the 2018 Phillip C. Jessup Moot’s problem question involved the use of automated bots and robots to undermine sovereignty in International Law. The other opportunities to explore one’s potential were in the leadership structure of the Makerere Law Society and the decentralised Guild Leadership Structure at the School of Law. I explored these avenues. I was privileged to be appointed an editor with the Makerere Law Journal twice consecutively. During this time, we edited papers written by various authors across Africa. These were on various topics inclusive of Law and Children, ownership and transfer of property, constitutional law and governance, climate change activism and international law. As an editor I also explored my writing skills to publish papers especially on Cryptocurrency and its effect on state sovereignty. My paper would later be chosen to be presented at the Makerere Law Journal annual symposium to be publicly discussed and defended. Interestingly I had been part of the team that had written the rules governing the symposium and which papers to be presented the previous editorial leadership tenure. Often times a writer seats down to write but never has a platform to explore the various reception views from his or her audience. The Makerere Law Journal offered this opportunity and it was marvellous. I did explore the Mooting Society opportunities and participated in the All Africa Moot Court competitions twice. I soon realised that one would not concentrate on Writing, editing and mooting at the same time with academics. This is where decision making for a young adult is difficult. The choice between two equally good platforms where the good is the same and the bad is not there at evaluation. I later on participated in the 7th Clinical Legal Education Moot Court Competition both as an oralist and lead counsel for my team. We won the moot. This moment was exhilarating especially as this moot happened two years after I had taken the decision to halt mooting. Excitement coupled with a few strands of regret all part of the same experience. During the four years I also served as a leader and ultimately when my record was considered good to be appointed to the 87th Makerere University Guild Tribunal and later voted as chairperson by the members of the Guild Tribunal. This was towards the end of the four years and it was satisfactory enough to crown my leadership experience. However during my tenure as the 87th Chairperson, I experienced the political power and concentration that is at the great hill of Makerere University. No wonder the leaders later lead the country in various leadership forums. I however, ended the tenure with various reservations about the structure of the Guild Leadership and it was not surprising that the system went under a restructure after the death of a student (May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace) due to the violence that had characterised the guild leadership campaigns for the 88th Guild Leadership. As a law student, your peers often times expect you to be at a certain level in addressing certain legal and structural challenges especially where they cannot afford to retain lawyers for advisory services. This also is partly due to trust created due to disaggregation of age and experience. To this end I had opportunities to deal with various Business Start-ups. The work entailed registration of business, structural and corporate governance advisory. I volunteered with the Ugandan Based Model Peace Forum – a young Non-Governmental Organisation working at a global level with focus on the role of youth in peace building and strategic partnerships first as a humanitarian and later as the Chairperson Advisory Board. I was later also appointed Legal head for the Ugandan Based Online Marketplace Tech Start-up called Shopline. My role involved advisory on Corporate Governance structure and venture capital advisory. I still hold these positions and others today. The Law School experience is quite a wide one and would not be written on a single page. This would undermine the emotional experience such as the struggles with finding a love life as a young adult and some of it left to memories. I proudly graduated and now pursuing the bar course at the Law Development Centre – Kampala

Other insights from Ntamugabumwe Victor