The legal landscape in East Africa has witnessed a historic moment with the launch of the Law Students Association of East Africa (LSAEA). In a ceremony held on July 26 at the Fairway Hotel in Kampala, Gideon Mwanje, a 24-year-old law student from Nkumba University in Uganda, was sworn in as the first president of this newly formed regional body.
LSAEA serves as an umbrella organization for law students’ associations across Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The association aims to foster collaboration and discussion on legal issues among students from these countries. Mwanje’s election as president marks a significant achievement for the young Ugandan, who is also the attorney general of the Nkumba University guild government.
The position of president in LSAEA is rotational, ensuring representation from each East African country over the years. Mwanje will serve a one-year term before passing the baton to the next president from another member country.
The inauguration was graced by Bernard Oundo, the president of the Uganda Law Society (ULS), who also served as the former president of the East Africa Law Society (EALS). Oundo’s role in the ceremony underscored the importance of the event, as he swore in the new executive members of LSAEA, fulfilling a requirement set out by the organization’s constitution.
Prominent figures in the East African legal education community, including over 60 law student leaders and educators from various institutions, attended the event. Notable attendees included representatives from the Uganda Law Students Association (ULSA) and other national law student bodies. Esther Odipo Ayoo, the president of the Kenya Law Students Association (KLSA), was appointed vice president of LSAEA, while Rwanda’s Frederic Kwihangana and Tanzania’s Samwel Ngelela were appointed as speaker and general secretary, respectively.
Oundo encouraged law students to embrace cross-border practice, highlighting the vast opportunities available across various jurisdictions in East Africa. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among young legal minds in building a robust regional legal community.
In his acceptance speech, Mwanje expressed his commitment to uniting law students across the region and extending the association’s reach to include students from South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He noted that his team is actively working to help these countries establish national law students’ associations, enabling them to join LSAEA.
Mwanje is not only a promising leader but also a dedicated legal researcher, with over 15 law blogs featured on the Nkumba University website. He is the founder of several initiatives, including the Nkumba University Moot Court Society, the Nkumba University Law Students Journal, and the Nkumba University Law School Magazine. His lecturer, Dr. Suzan Nakanwagi, praised him as a multi-talented and hardworking young man, known for his proactivity, respectfulness, and obedience.
