By Victor Turinawe.
Uganda Christian University (UCU) will host the East African Annual Privacy Moot Court Competition 2026 on Tuesday, September 29, bringing together law students from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
The competition will take place at Nkoyoyo Hall, UCU’s Mukono campus, under the theme, “Protecting Personal Data in Digital Financial Services and Fintech Ecosystems in East Africa.”
The regional contest will begin at 8:00 am, with participating universities represented by two students each. The teams will compete from the quarter-final stage through to the grand finale.
UCU will represent Uganda after winning the national rounds of the Unwanted Witness Privacy Law Moot Court Competition held on Friday, September 25, 2026.
The university was represented by oralists Deborah Mulungi Namiwanda and Vanessa Nalukwago-Evelyn, both fourth-year Law students, who will now compete against teams from the other three countries.
They were supported by researchers Jeremiah Kalyesubula, Timothy Brighton Mugisha, Jorum Rukidi, Irene Kateme Mawanda, Rachel Nabiranda, Noella Kukunda, Alicia Mutebi and Jovan Caleb Monge.
Speaking to the UCU Standard website, Mulungi said the competition focuses on privacy and data protection, particularly the protection of users’ rights in the collection and use of personal information by digital platforms and institutions such as WhatsApp and Google.
She said the regional competition provides an opportunity for law students to demonstrate their legal knowledge and advocacy skills while engaging with fellow students from across East Africa.
“Last year, UCU had the privilege of winning both the nationals and the regionals, so this year we hope to repeat the same,” Mulungi said.
She noted that moot court competitions play an important role in preparing law students for professional practice by strengthening their advocacy, legal research and networking skills.
“I think the Law Faculty at UCU is very cognisant of the importance of moot court competitions. They help us build our advocacy skills and research skills, so it is very enthusiastic about helping us as students take part in these competitions,” she said.
Mulungi added that the competitions expose students to different professional environments, allowing them to interact with legal practitioners, potential employers and fellow students from diverse backgrounds.
She encouraged other law students to participate in moot court competitions, saying they offer practical experience and opportunities to establish professional networks.
Mulungi will represent UCU alongside Nalukwago-Evelyn, who is based at the university’s Kampala campus.
According to Mulungi, the participating teams are identified using codes, meaning the students do not yet know the specific universities they will face in the regional competition.
“We are not sure about the specific universities because we use team codes. There are some rumours, of course, because they know the UCU team since they have met us, but we don’t know them specifically,” she said.
She added that the students expect to learn more about their competitors’ institutions as they interact during the competition.
All participating students had arrived by Monday, September 28.
