By Adam Nuwamanya
November 26, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The Governing Council of the Uganda Law Society, led by President Isaac Ssemakadde, SC, together with Vice President Asiimwe Anthony, Treasurer Arthur Isiko, Secretary-General Ssali Babu, and Council Representatives — Northern: Emmanuel Egaru, Central (Ag.): Lule Alexander, Eastern: Eddie Nangulu and Western: Samuel Muhumuza— is representing Uganda at the East African Law Society Annual Conference and General Meeting currently underway at Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa.
The Council was accompanied by members of the Secretariat, including the Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Christine Awori; Head of Finance James Akena; Head of Members’ Affairs Doreen Atukunda; and the award-winning Head of Communications, Adam Nuwamanya.
The conference is scheduled to conclude on 29 November 2025. As part of the program, Vice President Asiimwe is set to moderate a high-level panel titled “Preparing Law Firms for the Future: Strategies for Young Lawyers to Lead” on 27 November. On the same afternoon, President Ssemakadde will sit on another key panel exploring “Law, Politics and Governance: The Role of the Young Lawyer.”
Several Ugandan senior lawyers and Senior Counsel are also participating on various panels, curated by Prof. Frederick Edward Ssempebwa, SC.
In the keynote address, the panel comprising Prof. Luis Franceschi, Assistant Secretary-General of The Commonwealth of Nations, Wim Vanhelleputte, Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom Group PLC (Ethiopia), and Keith Heddle, Managing Director of Mackrell International, emphasized that many East African democratic systems are undermined by weak judicial processes. They observed that while African countries possess strong constitutional frameworks, these are often disregarded by those in power. The panel called upon lawyers to dedicate their passion and expertise to rescuing and strengthening people-centred democratic processes.