Fox Odoi-Oywelowo

There are lawyers who practice law. There are lawyers who shape institutions. And then there are lawyers whose careers become intertwined with the great public questions of their time. Hon. Sam Mayanja belongs firmly in the latter category. His journey has taken him through private practice, politics, public service and reform. He helped form and build one of Uganda's most successful law firms. He entered public life. He stepped into one of the most contested arenas of governance, land. And this week he assumes office as the principal legal adviser to the Government of the Republic of Uganda. It is a remarkable office. Few public offices sit as naturally at the intersection of all three arms of government. As a minister, the Attorney General is part of the Executive. As the First Parliamentary Counsel, he oversees the legal architecture through which government policy is translated into legislation and presented before Parliament. And as an Advocate of the courts of Uganda, he remains an officer of the court, owing duties not merely to a client, but to the administration of justice itself. In many respects, the Attorney General is the constitutional thread that runs through the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. It is also an office with a distinguished lineage. Across the decades, it has been occupied by some of Uganda's most accomplished lawyers, jurists, politicians and statesmen. Among its holders have been Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa, who would later become President of Uganda; Godfrey Lule; Nkambo Mugerwa; Abu Mayanja; Sam Kutesa; Francis Ayume; Joseph Mulenga; Prof. George Kanyeihamba; Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi; Hon. Fred Ruhindi SC; Justice Bart Katureebe; Peter Nyombi; Khiddu Makubuya; William Byaruhanga; and most recently Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka. Their careers would go on to shape courts, governments, constitutions and the nation itself. Few offices in Uganda can claim such a roll call. Now the brief passes to Hon. Sam Mayanja. Every Attorney General inherits a mandate. But each must decide what to do with it. What should be the relationship between government and the legal profession? How should the state approach litigation? How do we tackle judicial backlog? How do we strengthen confidence in our institutions? How do we reconcile development with the rule of law? And what role should law play in Uganda's future? These are not merely legal questions. They are national questions. Join us this Wednesday as we welcome the Learned Attorney General of the Republic of Uganda, Hon. Sam Mayanja Senior Counsel, for a conversation about the office he now inherits, the mission he intends to pursue, and the legal and constitutional questions that will help shape Uganda's future. The Attorney General's Brief: The Mandate and the Mission.