LLM | LLB | B.Ph | DIP. LP | DIP.LL | DIP.Ph | Advocate | Commissioner for Oaths | Notary Public | Founder and Managing Partner: M/S Twinobusingye Severino & Co. Advocates | President and Chairperson Executive Council Catholic Lawyers Society International | Chairperson University Council Karamoja Peace And Technology University | Senior Legal Consultant | Law Don Uganda Martyrs University | Member of Board of Directors of the Association of Religious in Uganda- ARU | Member of Board of Advisors of Mushana E Sacco (U) Ltd | Member of Board of Trustees of Kotido Catholic Diocese |
Twinobusingye Severino is a Ugandan lawyer and a Senior Advocate of the Courts of Judicature of Uganda; a Commissioner for Oaths; a Notary Public; a Founder & Managing Partner of M/s Twinobusingye Severino & Co. Advocates; President and Chair of Executive Council of Catholic Lawyers Society International; 3rd Vice President and Chairperson Governing Council for Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU); Principal Legal Advisor to the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation and Special Presidential Advisor on Defence, Office of the President of the Republic of Uganda. He also sits on a number of Boards.
Born on Sunday, 21st September 1969, in Kigarama Village, Nyamirama Town Council, Kinkizi West Constituency, in present-day Kanungu District in Western Uganda.
Twinobusingye is a distinguished Jurist and a Legal Scholar. He holds a Master of Laws Degree of Makerere University; a Bachelor of Laws with Honours Degree of Makerere University; a Bachelor of Philosophy 2nd Upper with Honours Degree of Makerere University; a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice of Law Development Centre Kampala; 1st Class Diploma in Law of Law Development Centre Kampala and Distinction Diploma in Philosophy and Higher Ecclesiastical Sciences of Katigondo National Major Seminary, among other academic qualifications.
He is a member of the Uganda Law Society, East Africa Law Society, Catholic Bar Association, Catholic Lawyers Society International, Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society and Pan African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network.
He has litigated several high-profile locus classicus cases across a wide spectrum of issues over the last more than 15 years of his legal practice that have positively impacted Uganda’s jurisprudence.
Some of these landmark cases include the famous challenge to a Resolution of the Parliament of Uganda. The Parliament of the Republic of Uganda wanted to probe allegations of bribery in the oil sector. This is the famous case of Twinobusingye Severino Vs Attorney General of Uganda, Constitutional Petition No. 47 of 2011. The court awarded him Uganda Shillings 13 billion (United States Dollars 3.6 million).
Twinobusingye Severino Vs Attorney General of Uganda, Constitutional Petition No. 47 of 2011 is a locus classicus in jurisprudence where he secured an injunction against the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda for the first time in Uganda. The said decision also defined parameters for the separation of powers.
In 2011, Twinobusingye Severino was sued by the Parliamentary Commission of Uganda in the case of The Parliamentary Commission v. Twinobusingye Severino & Attorney General of Uganda, Constitutional Application No. 53 of 2011. In this case, the Constitutional Court of Uganda held that Parliament is an arm of Government, and can only be represented by the Attorney General of Uganda.
Twinobusingye Severino has championed public interest litigation on critical causes, both national and international. He served as Lead Legal Consultant, instructed by the Government of the Republic of Uganda, to study and advise the Government, the best way to resolve the case of the Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo in the International Court of Justice (Democratic Republic of the Congo v Uganda).
He enabled the Government of the Republic of Uganda to succeed on appeal by reducing the bill of United States Dollars 10 billion that had been imposed on Uganda by the International Court of Justice to United States Dollars 325 million.
If the International Court of Justice had maintained the bill at United States Dollars 10 billion, it would have taken Uganda more than 150 years to pay that debt. Twinobusingye’s contribution to the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the country at large is therefore of profound significance.
As part of the petitioner’s legal team in Presidential Election Petition No. 1 of 2016, Amama Mbabazi Vs Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Electoral Commission and Attorney General of Uganda, Twinobusingye and his team successfully submitted and convinced the Supreme Court of Uganda to issue orders that have shaped the country’s electoral jurisprudence. This case laid the foundation of the doctrine of structural injunction in Uganda’s jurisprudence. The Supreme Court gave the Attorney General timelines within which to report back to the court. In the same judgment, the office of Attorney General was defined as the ‘Father of the Law’.
Twinobusingye has lectured on Criminology & Penology, Commercial Law and Labour law at Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi in Uganda.
From a humble background in the rural village in Kinkizi, Twinobusingye has extended his pro bono services in the legal field and academia as a champion of fundamental causes in education, the legal profession and social structural transformation and development, targeting the most disadvantaged people and communities in East Africa. These are mainly the Karamojong, the Iteso and Sebei in Uganda; the Toposa in South Sudan; the Nyangtom in Ethiopia, the Turkana and the Pokot in Kenya.
The Catholic Lawyers Society International, which he leads as President, in partnership with the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Kotido and Moroto and the Government of the Republic of Uganda, have championed the establishment of Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU) to lead socio-economic transformation in the entire Ateker Region in Uganda, South Sudan and Kenya. His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is the Founding Chancellor and Visitor. Her Excellency, Jessica Rose Epel Alupo, is the Deputy Founding Chancellor. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Dominic Eibu MCCJ is the University President. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Emeritus Filippi Giuseppe MCCJ is the first University Vice President. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Damiano Giulio Guzzetti MCCJ is the second University Vice President. Mr. Twinobusingye Severino is the Chairperson of the University Council and the third University Vice President.
Twinobusingye Severino is also leading the fight against trafficking in persons under the International Catholic Lawyers Society International Legal fraternity to which he is President and Chairperson of the Executive Council.
On the Legal front, Twinobusingye Severino, having founded a Law Firm, M/s Twinobusingye Severino & Co. Advocates, in 2012, has shifted the law firm’s focus beyond the national borders of Uganda as a general practice firm to be an international law firm that handles both litigation and legal consultancy services.
This is consistent with his Legal Philosophy that law should be less adversarial and more focused on resolving the greatest challenges of our times, where law serves as an instrument of peace between the contending sides to a legal dispute.
Therefore, moving ahead of the political processes towards integration of East Africa and Africa, Twinobusingye and his partners at the firm have already spread the wings of legal practice, by establishing networks in regional capitals like Nairobi in Kenya, Kigali in Rwanda, Cape Town, South Africa and beyond.
Beyond Private practice in the legal profession and academia, Twinobusingye continues to contribute to profound initiatives for better service delivery and governance, rendering legal professional advice and leadership where required.
As the Principal Legal Advisor to the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation and Special Presidential Advisor on Defence (CC OWC/SPAD) Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho Salim Saleh, Twinobusingye has offered his expertise to a major national effort to uplift Ugandans from poverty under the initiative founded by President Museveni and being executed by Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho Salim Saleh.
The fight to uplift the poor is not just a job for Twinobusingye, who grew up surrounded by poverty in his rural Kigarama Village in Nyamirama Sub County in present-day Kanungu District.
While he might have achieved success as an individual, he has not lost sight of the poverty that continues to hold many young talents back.
More about Karamoja Region, all major national and international development indices put Karamoja region at the bottom. This situation has persisted since colonial days, the fact that the region is one of Uganda’s most resource-endowed areas notwithstanding.
Extreme household poverty, poor infrastructure, inadequate government investments, partly perpetuated by persistent insecurity, largely left Karamoja on the sidelines of the national development agenda for decades.
A culture of cattle rustling, vices like alcoholism and the general remoteness of the area have robbed hundreds of young people of a reasonably foreseeable bright and promising future.
For years, the provision of basic services like education and hospitals was left to the religious people especially the Roman Catholic Church, which has a significant presence of various mission hospitals like St. Kizito Matany Hospital in Moroto, Kanawat Health Centre III in Kotido, Kangole Senior Secondary School in Moroto, etc.
No wonder, therefore, that, for 573 years, since Dum Diversas was signed into law on 18th June 1452; and for 195 years since Uganda came into contact with the Khartoumers thus opening contact with outside world in 1830; and for 39 years since NRA/NRM took power in Uganda with Point 8(2)(b) of the 10 Point Program to the effect that affirmative action was to be taken by government to develop Karamoja; the entire Karamoja region neither had a University whether public or private; nor any tertiary institution of significance. This remained a state of affairs until the Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU) initiative became a reality.
The few sons and daughters of Karamoja and the greater Ateker region that were lucky to obtain education were mainly through church founded schools. This was both at the Primary and Secondary School levels.
These have used their chance at education to escape from the region’s poverty on a one-way ticket out. Thousands of young men and women who have remained in Karamoja have been subjected to the fullest extent of the law and, upon conviction, sentenced to imprisonment. The major offences upon which they are charged are related to cattle rustling. All these are crimes under the Penal Code Act, Laws of Uganda.
These harsh realities became evident to Twinobusingye while he conducted research in Rupa Sub County, Moroto District, in 2014, for his Master of Laws Dissertation at Makerere University. He was specializing in Mining Law. It is at this point that the idea of establishing a unique university named Karamoja Peace and Technology University, KAPATU, was conceived. It is his considered opinion that leaving Karamoja behind, while everyone else progressed, implied that in the highest courts of justice, we would never see salvation as indicated by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 25: 31-46. We ought to be our brothers’ keepers.
The title of his dissertation was “An Assessment of the Legal Regime Governing the Mining Industry in Uganda”. To him, this dire situation implied that we had all, without exception, failed the test of the “neighbor principle” as demonstrated by Jesus in the story of “the Good Samaritan” in the Gospel of St. Luke 10:25-37, as well as the locus classicus case of “Donoghue v. Stevenson [1932] AC 562”. Both cases go to full length to demonstrate the neighbor principle as the standard rule by which we all must live and by which we shall all be judged at the end of time.
KAPATU has therefore been established as a regional and international University and centre of excellence with an ambitious transformation agenda whose focus goes far beyond the pursuit of academic excellence. It is a collaborative initiative of the Government of the Republic of Uganda, the Roman Catholic Church under the dioceses of Kotido and Moroto and the Catholic Lawyers Society International. Twinobusingye has played the central coordinating role to bring the various stakeholders together towards this cause.
Twinobusingye believes in harnessing diverse abilities, races, and cultures both in the Catholic Lawyers International Society and at the law firm to tap the best talents that humanity can offer.
Over the years, Twinobusingye has demonstrated that he is a multi-talented leader of distinction, talent and ability. He is able to lead teams that are multi-racial, multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic backgrounds.
He served as Chairperson of the Judicial Affairs Committee of Uganda Law Society from 2018 to 2019; Member of the Rule of Law and Strategic Litigation Committee of Uganda Law Society 2017; Member of Strategic Mobilization Committee for the construction of Uganda Law Society House 2018; Chairman Human Rights and Governance Cluster of Uganda Law Society 2017.
From 2011-2016, he served as Legal Counsel for Nyamirama Catholic Parish in Kabale Catholic Diocese; Chairman, Board of Governors of Pollart Des Places Senior Secondary School, Nyamirama.
From 2014-2015, he served as a member of the National Organising Committee for the visit of Pope Francis to Uganda; Company Secretary for the Uganda Martyrs Shrines Redevelopment Ltd, a special purpose vehicle that was incorporated to manage all taxation and procurement matters related to Pope Francis’ visit to Uganda.
From 2014 to 2015, he served at Makerere University as the Legal Consultant for investments, Transaction Advisor, Member of Infrastructure Development “Marshall” Plan Committee; Legal Counsel for MakHoldings Ltd, as well as Makerere University Endowment.
From 2003 to 2012, he served at the Independent Electoral Commission as Election Management Officer, as well as Legal Officer.
From 2002-2002, he served as a Project Manager and Consultant for a World Bank Project in the Ministry of Health called the Nutrition & Early Childhood Development Project in charge of Rukungiri District and Kanungu District.
In 2001, he served in Uganda Gender Resource Centre as a Resource Person for the National Constitutional Review in Uganda.
From 1993 to 1996, he served as a District Youth Councillor for Nyamirama Sub–County in Rukungiri District Youth Council.
From 1989-1996, as a vacist, he taught as a License Teacher for English Language, Literature in English and European History at: Sanyo Nursery School, St. Peters Katete Primary School and St. Charles Lwanga Senior Secondary School in Rutooma in Kambuga Sub County. He also taught at Nyakinoni Senior Secondary School in Nyamirama Sub County and Kihihi High School as well as St Pius Senior Secondary School at Nyamwegabira in Kihihi Sub County.
Even as a student, Twinobusingye demonstrated that he was an achiever and record setter as highlighted herein. From 1996 to 1997, he served as a Guild Minister for Cabinet Affairs at Law Development Centre in Kampala.
As a student at Katigondo National Major Seminary, he served as President for Pro Life Movement International 1997-1998, Dean for Kabale Diocese 1997-1999, Arch Dean and Chairman College of Deans 1999 to 2000.
As a student at Apostles of Jesus Bukinda Seminary in Kabale District 1986-1992, he served as the Editor Seminary Magazine (1987), Sacristan (1988), Chairman Debate and Drama Clubs (1989), Prefect for Social Affairs (1991 to 1992).
As a pupil at St. Peters Katete Primary School, he served as Head Prefect from 1984-1985.