UCU Retains Regional Privacy Moot as Minister Urges Lawyers to Keep Pace with Technology

What the report says

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has won the regional Unwanted Witness Privacy Moot Court Competition, defeating the University of Dar es Salaam in the final held at UCU on Tuesday, according to Nile Post. The victory came with a US$1,500 prize and a fully funded trip for the winning team to the 2026 Africa Privacy Symposium in Accra, Ghana.

The competition brought together law students from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, with cases and arguments focused on privacy, data protection, digital financial services and emerging technologies. Nile Post reported that the event was designed to build practical skills in legal research, memorial writing, oral advocacy and court etiquette, while also preparing students for disputes shaped by digital evidence and cross-border issues.

At the event, Minister for ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba urged future lawyers to keep pace with technological change and make sure innovation does not weaken privacy and other rights. She said legal and regulatory systems must adapt to developments such as artificial intelligence, digital identity and cybersecurity. Judges and other speakers, including Justice Duncan Gaswaga, Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Baker Birikujja of the Ministry of ICT, and Uganda Law Society vice president Anthony Asiimwe, echoed calls for stronger understanding of data protection and technology-related litigation.

Unwanted Witness Uganda’s Dorothy Mukasa said the moot was created five years ago to train lawyers for privacy and data protection work and has expanded across East Africa, reflecting the regional and cross-border nature of digital rights challenges.