‘Rule of law’ champion Mabirizi seeks enrollment as advocate after 10 years in the wilderness

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Outspoken legal activist lawyer Male Hassan Mabirizi Kassim Kiwanuka has formally applied to the Law Council for admission and enrollment as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda, citing over a decade of self-driven litigation and constitutional activism.

In a letter dated May 30, 2025, and addressed to the Chairperson of the Law Council, Mabirizi argues that he qualifies for enrollment under Sections 13(1), 13(8), and 13(9) of the Advocates Act, having obtained his law degree from Makerere University in 2012 and actively litigated high-profile public interest cases since 2013.

“I have been in active litigation since 2013 in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and the East African Court of Justice, mostly in public interest matters. I have hence practiced for over a decade, far above the required minimum of one year,” Mabirizi stated in his application.

Among the key cases Mabirizi cited were the landmark Constitutional Appeal No. 02 of 2018, in which he challenged the amendment to remove the presidential age limit, a case that led to the partial nullification of the controversial constitutional amendment in which the MPs wanted to increase their term of office from five to seven years.

Two references before the East African Court of Justice, one in 2019 challenging the same constitutional amendments and another in 2020 contesting the legality of the Ugandan government’s Covid-19 lockdown.

Mabirizi, who describes himself as a “civically active indigenous Ugandan,” has long been a household name for pursuing politically sensitive litigation without formal representation by advocates.

Mabirizi has previously, in 2022, been jailed for contempt of court and is known for challenging state actions, sometimes even when conventional lawyers have declined to engage.

Now 36 and recently released from prison, where he spent 18 months, Mabirizi has reemerged with renewed zeal, branding himself “fit and proper” not only to join the legal profession but also to one day lead the country.

The Law Council has not publicly responded to his application, but records indicate that they received his application on June 2nd, 2025.

If approved, Male Mabirizi will be officially admitted to the Roll of Advocates, giving him the right to represent clients in courts of law this time, not just as a litigant in person, but as a full-fledged officer of the court.

The commonly known procedure for one to be put on the Roll of Advocates in Kampala has been that one possess a bachelor’s degree in law from a recognized university and then a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre, LDC, or he or she should have studied law in common law countries, not Franconian states.

Mabirizi was a few months ago awarded by the Uganda Law Society, an umbrella body of advocates, as a Rule of Law Champion for his dedication to promoting the rule of law.

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