BY BOY FIDEL LEON
Former media personnel and investigative journalist, Mr Ivan Okuda has been appointed new vice chairperson of Construction Law Cluster for the he Uganda Law Society (ULS).
In a letter signed by the ULS Mr Bernard Oundo, exercising his powers vested section 11 of the USL Act appointed Mr Okuda for the position citing his versed knowledge and experience in different field connected to position.
“Given your experience and expertise, it is my pleasure to inform you that you have been nominated to be the Vice Chairperson of the Construction Law Cluster,” Mr Oundo stated in a letter addressed to Mr Okuda.
“As a member of this Cluster, you should act honestly and in good faith, exercise powers for their proper use guided by the Cluster Terms of Reference, and respect privacy and confidentiality of information obtained in the course of the organization’s operation,” the read in part.
Mr Okuda started his journalism career as a student at Kiira College Butiki from where he would contribute to the Daily Monitor before, during and after his university studies at Makerere University.
While at university he studied a Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University and later did a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Center before he went for a Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies (specialising in Investigative Journalism & Media Law and Ethics) as a Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Media Africa Scholar, a scholarship awarded annually to two journalists from sub-Saharan Africa.
Currently, Mr Okuda is pursuing Master of Laws in Construction Law & Arbitration from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland where he recently qualified as a Member of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
“I am profoundly humbled and immensely gratified by the trust and confidence that the leadership of the Uganda Law Society has put in me. More importantly, however, is that these appointments are not the product of tokenism but rather reflect the current ULS leaders’ consistent demonstration of faith in career-entry Advocates and giving them a ladder to grow. Whereas we are not yet anywhere close to experts in any field, it’s helpful that the current ULS administration sees these endorsements as positive challenge to us to grow and become better in our chosen fields of interest,” Mr Okuda told this publication in an interview for this story.
The Construction Law Cluster, along with other clusters within ULS, holds a crucial role in fulfilling the society’s objectives. The current Chairperson of the Uganda Law Society Construction Law Cluster is Counsel Milton Ocen.
“All Clusters perform the main functions of initiating and carrying out preparatory work leading to a Council decision, carrying out delegated tasks on behalf of the Executive Council, and working with the staff to implement certain operations and activities,” Mr Oundo said.
This appointment within the Construction Law Cluster signifies the Uganda Law Society’s commitment to enhancing legal practices within the construction industry. By appointing experienced professionals, the society aims to address industry-specific legal matters with specialized expertise.
The newly appointed Vice Chairperson will play a pivotal role in advancing the objectives of the Construction Law Cluster and contributing to the overall improvement of the organization.
The Uganda Law Society values the contributions of its members and believes that this appointment will greatly benefit the society and its endeavors.
