Byenkya, Kihika & Co. Advocates (BK), one of Uganda’s oldest and most respected corporate and commercial law firms has announced two partners at the firm.
The partners are Dr Anthony C.K. Kakooza, a legal scholar and law don at Uganda Christian University and Makerere University, and Bazira Anthony, previously a Senior Associate at the law firm.
The appointment of the duo now brings to six, the total number of partners at the firm.
The other four partners are Oscar Kihika, the Managing Partner; Ebert Byenkya, a founding partner, Blaisie Paulsen, the former Managing Partner and Dinah Mukasa.
Commenting about the appointment of the two new partners, Kihika said the two new partners, “who are each a specialist in their field, widen and solidify our unending quest to provide our clients innovative legal solutions that achieve results that exceed their expectations.
Mr Bazira, who will remain in the firm’s dispute and litigation department, specializes in commercial litigation and regulatory enforcement, especially in banking, land and property law, conveyance, contract law, defamation suits, company law, and corporate commercial law.
Recently branded as “the Godfather of Intellectual Property law in Uganda” by the 2021 issue of the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals (WTR 1000) Magazine, Dr Kakooza is both a renowned scholar and one of a few Intellectual Property lawyers in Uganda.
Founded in 1992, Byenkya, Kihika & Co. Advocates has distinguished itself in the Ugandan legal industry as one of the most reliable and most respected full-service law firms- thanks to its experienced talent pool, membership to reputable global networks and a selection of landmark cases, successfully handled.
BK is a member of IR Global the largest professional service network providing legal, accountancy and financial advice to companies and individuals worldwide as well as ABLE (Africa Business & Legal Expertise), a network of African lawyers specialised in business law.
BK is recognized as one of Uganda’s leading law firms, both by IFLR1000— a guide to the world’s leading financial law firms and Chambers & Partners, a widely-recognized authority on global legal rankings.
BK’s Partners, Oscar Kihika, Blaisie Paulsen and Ebert Byenkya have each been ranked as Highly Regarded by IFLR1000. Chambers & Partners has also recognized Blaisie Paulsen and Ebert Byenkya.
The law firm for example in 2020, successfully represented ALTX East Africa Ltd in their application against the Capital Markets Authority, challenging the regulator’s decision that led to the cancellation of ALTX East Africa’s approval to operate as a securities exchange. The case was hailed as key in preserving free competition in the capital market’s space as well as clamping on abuse of regulatory power.
Ebert Byenkya, Oscar Kihika and Dinah Mukasa represented ALTX East Africa.
In another precedent-setting case, the firm successfully challenged, in the Constitutional Court, the government of Uganda’s attempts to award monopolistic rights over clearing, forwarding, and handling services of all imports and exports to and from Uganda through the Port of Mombasa to one company— Great Lakes Port Ltd.
In the case, Spedag Interfreight Uganda Ltd & 3 Ors v Attorney General & Anor, Ebert Byenkya, Bazira Anthony and Ruth Birungi, a Senior Associate at the law firm, successfully convinced a Coram of five justices of the Constitutional Court of Uganda, who unanimously declared, that the actions of the government in assigning a ten (10) year exclusive license to Great lakes Port for the clearing, forwarding and handling services to Great lakes Port to the exclusion of other players was unconstitutional.
Netflix Strikes $82.7 Billion Deal to Take Over Warner Bros., Redefining the Global Entertainment LandscapeIn another landmark case, that pertains to the protection of minority shareholder rights (MS Fang Min V Uganda Hui Neng Mining Limited & Others HCCS No. 318 of 2016.)
Byenkya, Kihika & Co. Advocates, defended Ms Fang Min, against the fraudulent transfer of Exploration License No. 1178 in which she was a party, together with Uganda Hui Neng Mining Limited. The latter, who was the majority shareholder, sold the license to Guangzhou Dong Song Energy Group Co. Ltd who later, transferred the Exploration License and Mining Lease to another company, Guangzhou Dong Song Energy Group (U) Ltd.
On the 19th day of September 2019, the Honourable Justice David Wangutusi of the Commercial Court ruled that transfer was illegal, null and void. Specifically, he ruled that even when Ms Fangmin was a minority shareholder, she ought to have been notified and involved in the process of the sale. In his ruling, the judge also reaffirmed several key principles under the Companies Act including but not limited to the duties of company directors, notices before company meetings, those entitled to attend company meetings, those entitled to pass board resolutions, lifting the corporate veil, derivative actions, shareholder participation in affairs of the company.
The plaintiff was represented by Ebert Byenkya and Dinah Mukasa.
Who are the new partners?
Dr Anthony C.K. Kakooza
Partner
Areas of Practice: Intellectual Property, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Byenkya, Kihika & Co. Advocates is proud to announce Dr Anthony C.K. Kakooza as the firm’s newest Partner. Dr Kakooza prides himself on over sixteen years as a renowned scholar and practitioner in the specialized area of Intellectual Property law. He is joining a firm of Advocates which has been in existence since 1992 as a leading litigation and commercial law firm in the country. Through his addition, the law firm is thus looking at further prominence with the inclusion of Intellectual Property legal practice as one of its core areas.
Dr Kakooza holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University; a Master of Laws in International Economic Law, with a focus on International Intellectual Property Law, from Warwick University (U.K); and a Doctorate (J.S.D) in Intellectual Property and Cyber Law from the University of Illinois (U.S.A). He is also an accredited Arbitrator and Mediator of Intellectual Property Disputes with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Dr Kakooza maintains an active membership in both the Uganda Law Society and the East African Law Society. He is the current head/Convener of the Intellectual Property Cluster (2021-2022) of the Uganda Law Society and has been branded as “the Godfather of Intellectual Property law in Uganda” by the 2021 issue of the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals (WTR 1000) Magazine. He is also a member of the ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Committee in the International Trademark Association (INTA).
Dr Kakooza is a Commissioner with the Uganda Law Reform Commission and a Board member of the Uganda Christian Lawyers Fraternity. He is passionate about mentorship and grooming young lawyers. He teaches Intellectual Property law at Uganda Christian University and Makerere University, and as a Visiting Professor at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, Cornell Law School and the University of Illinois in the U.S.A.
He has published numerous articles on Intellectual Property law, Cyber Law and Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions. He has also engaged in numerous consultancies related to Intellectual Property law at the national level as well as internationally for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).
Bazira Anthony
Partner
Areas of Practice: Banking, land and property law, conveyance, contract law, defamation suits, company law, and corporate commercial law.
Bazira is a newly appointed Partner working with the firm’s dispute and litigation department. His practice specializes in commercial litigation and regulatory enforcement, with a focus on banking, constitutional law, land and property law, contract law, general civil law and company law. He also has significant experience handling a wide range of high profile litigations, including constitutional petitions, election petitions, judicial review and employment law.
Bazira, is a teaching assistant at Uganda Christian University, Mukono, where he tutors students in the subjects of contract law and labour law. He’s also a recipient of the UCU Law Society, Tutor of the Year Award for 2019 and 2020.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Uganda Christian University, Mukono.
