By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: Barely six months after his retirement as Chief Justice of Uganda, Justice Bart Magunda Katureebe has earned himself a prestigious international appointment, Ugandan Judiciary has disclosed.
Chinese Supreme Court hires Chief Justice Emeritus Bart Katureebe pic.twitter.com/20GYPXk7IJ
— Judiciary Uganda (@JudiciaryUG) December 8, 2020
The Supreme People’s Court of China (SPC) has appointed the Chief Justice emeritus Bart Katureebe as a member of its Expert Committee on adjudication of international commercial disputes for the next four years.
“Bart Magunda Katureebe is appointed as a member of the International Commercia Court Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China for a four-year term, from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2024,” appointment note read in part.
READ ALSO: Chief Justice Katureebe Hangs Robes, Vacates Coveted Position As Museveni Hunts For Replacement
The Expert Committee was established in August 2018 in order to ensure fairness and effective operation of the China International Commercial Court (CICC)- an organ of SPC established to adjudicate international commercial disputes.
The Committee is comprised of 31 “leaders of important international organizations legal experts, eminent scholars, experienced judges, outstanding lawyers” selected from different countries and legal systems.
Functions of the Committee include mediating international commercial dispute upon parties’ designation, providing expert opinion on applicable foreign laws an international conventions if entrusted by the ClCC, and giving advice on future development of the CICC.
“Taking account of your recognised expertise and extensive experiences in lega fields, I am therefore writing on behalf of CICC to invite you as candidate member of the Committee,” reads Justice Katureebe’s invitation letter from SPC.
READ ALSO: Justice Katureebe Announces Retirement As He Bids 54 African Chief Justices Farewell
Meanwhile, Chinesse Embassy in Uganda has warmly welcomed Katureebe and noted, “It’s not only the recognition of Justice Katureebe’s outstanding professionalism, but also a new outcome of the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership between China and Uganda.”
It's not only the recognition of Justice Katureebe's outstanding professionalism, but also a new outcome of the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership between China🇨🇳 and Uganda🇺🇬.
— Chinese Embassy in Uganda (@ChineseEmb_Uga) December 9, 2020
On December 8, 2020 prestigious appointment ceremony held in Shenzher China, Justice Katureebe, who attended virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, made an eight-minute speech. He largely shared his opinion/experience about the operations of Commercial Courts.
“Iam profoundly excited about this appointment, for it is a high-level Committee that will keep me professionally connected,” he said.
Justice Katureebe, who officially retired as Chief Justice on June 20, 2020 after clocking the mandatory retirement age of 70, has since been replaced by his former deputy, Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo.
Who Is Bart Katureebe?
Bart Magunda Katureebe is a Ugandan judge and the former Chief Justice of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 5 March 2015. Before that, he was a justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda.
He was born on 20 June 1950, in Rugazi Village, Rubirizi District in the Western Region of Uganda to Yowana Magunda and Virginia Ngonzi. He went to Rugazi Primary School for his elementary schooling from 1957 until 1962.
He then went to St. Joseph Junior Secondary School in Mbarara from 1963 to 1964, and Kitunga High School in Ntungamo District for his O-Level from 1965 until 1968. He attended Namilyango College, an all-boys boarding school in Mukono District, for his A-Level education from 1969 to 1970.
Four years later, he graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor of Laws degree. He went on to receive a Diploma in Legal practice from the Law Development Centre in Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.
From 1975 until 1983, Katureebe worked as a state attorney in the Ministry of Justice. From 1983 until 1988, he practiced law in a private setting.
From 1988 until 1991, he served as the deputy minister for regional cooperation, then deputy minister of industry and technology (1991 to 1992), and State Minister for Health and a member of the National Resistance Council, a legislative body at that time (1992 to 1996). From 1994 until 1995, he was the elected member of the Constituent Assembly representing Bunyaruguru County, Rubirizi District.
From 1996 until 2001, he served as the minister of justice, constitutional affairs and attorney general. He went back to private practice in 2001, starting his own law firm Kampala Associated Advocates. He was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court in 2005. On 5 March 2015, he was appointed chief justice and retired ealier this year.
