Team Size: Four

Major legal advisors: SM & Co. Advocates (formerly Shonubi Musoke Advocates) and various external counsel retained on specialist litigation, employment, tax and regulatory matters

Q&A

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in? 

As Head of Legal and Company Secretary, I advise the Board, its principal Committees and Executive Management on legal, governance and regulatory matters while leading a legal function that supports business growth, safeguards institutional resilience and enables sound decision-making within a highly regulated banking environment. 

Over the past year, our legal team has continued to play a strategic role in supporting business growth, strengthening governance and managing legal and regulatory risk within the banking sector. 

One of the most significant transactions involved legal oversight of the procurement, negotiation and implementation of a major construction project for the Bank’s new commercial building and branch premises, with an estimated value of approximately USD 1.2 million. The project required careful allocation of contractual risk, regulatory compliance oversight and ongoing stakeholder engagement to safeguard the Bank’s commercial interests. 

We also continue to lead the Bank’s position in a significant tax dispute involving an assessment of approximately USD 1.9 million. The matter has progressed through the dispute resolution process and is currently before the appellate courts on a point of law, presenting important considerations regarding regulatory interpretation and tax treatment within the financial services sector. 

In addition, I oversee a litigation portfolio comprising approximately 25 active matters with aggregate exposure exceeding USD 2.3 million. Through a structured legal risk management framework, the team secured seven favourable judgments during the reporting period, including several consent judgments that facilitated recoveries, while maintaining a number of strategically important matters pending determination. We also initiated recovery proceedings relating to an exposure of approximately USD 1 million, which has since progressed to settlement discussions, creating an opportunity for significant value recovery while mitigating prolonged litigation risk. 

Beyond disputes, the legal function supported secured lending transactions worth approximately USD 15.5 million, facilitated perfection of security interests worth approximately USD 13.1 million, perfected mortgages and contributed to strengthening the Bank’s recoverability position and legal enforceability framework. The team also led the Bank’s legal response to a significant fraud incident, including obtaining preservation orders, coordinating with law enforcement agencies and supporting criminal prosecution while safeguarding institutional interests.

How do you navigate the legal complexities of cross-border transactions within the East African Community (EAC) and beyond? 

As businesses increasingly operate across multiple jurisdictions, successful legal support requires a balance between local regulatory compliance and broader commercial objectives. My approach is anchored on proactive risk identification, stakeholder engagement and close collaboration with legal and business teams across jurisdictions. 

The growing integration of East African markets presents both opportunities and complexities, particularly in relation to regulatory alignment, data governance, financial services regulation and cross-border commercial arrangements. I have found that early engagement with regulators, external advisers and business stakeholders is critical to anticipating legal challenges before they materialise. 

Beyond my institutional role, I actively participate in regional legal and governance discussions. In March 2026, I moderated a regional panel discussion organised by the East Africa Law Society titled “Inside the Client Mind: What In-House and General Counsel Are Watching and Why It Matters for Your Career”, bringing together senior in-house counsel from across East Africa to discuss evolving legal and business expectations. Such engagements reinforce the importance of regional collaboration in addressing common governance, regulatory and commercial challenges.

In light of increasing regulatory scrutiny across sectors in East Africa, how are you adapting your compliance frameworks to stay ahead of change? 

The regulatory environment across East Africa continues to evolve rapidly, requiring legal functions to move beyond traditional compliance monitoring towards proactive regulatory engagement and enterprise-wide risk management. 

Within the Bank, we have continued to strengthen governance reporting structures, litigation monitoring frameworks, escalation protocols and legal risk reporting mechanisms to provide management and the Board with timely and actionable insights. We have also enhanced documentation standards, contract management processes and security perfection frameworks to improve enforceability and reduce operational risk. 

As Company Secretary, I advise the Board and all major Board Committees, including the Board Credit Committee, Board Risk Committee, Board Audit Committee, Board Human Resources and Compensation Committee and the Board Asset Liability Management Committee. This provides a unique vantage point from which to support governance oversight, regulatory compliance and strategic decision-making. 

In addition to supporting the Board and its Committees, I play an active role in strategic discussions involving enterprise risk management, regulatory engagement, credit governance, organisational transformation and institutional growth initiatives. 

Beyond the institution, I was elected to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Uganda Bankers Association Legal Committee (comprising of all Heads of Legal from all financial institutions/Banks in Uganda). In April 2026 I was privileged to be part of a select distinguished delegation from the Uganda Bankers Association that presented industry views on the Sovereignty Bill before the Parliament of Uganda. These engagements provide valuable insight into emerging legislative and regulatory developments while contributing to constructive dialogue between industry and policymakers.

How is the role of the General Counsel evolving in East Africa as organisations place greater emphasis on governance, transparency and ESG considerations? 

The role of the General Counsel in East Africa has evolved significantly from that of a traditional legal advisor to that of a strategic governance partner and trusted advisor to Boards and executive leadership. 

Today, General Counsel are expected not only to manage legal risk but also to contribute meaningfully to governance, culture, sustainability, regulatory engagement and organisational resilience. As Head of Legal and Company Secretary, I have increasingly found myself operating at the intersection of law, governance, risk management and strategy. 

This broader perspective has informed my contributions to discussions on workplace wellbeing, governance and emerging technologies. In May 2025, I conceptualised, initiated and coordinated a governance-focused webinar hosted by GTBank Uganda for Company Secretaries and Heads of Legal across GTCO’s ten African subsidiaries on the theme “Artificial Intelligence in the Boardroom: A Threat or an Opportunity?”. The initiative explored the governance, ethical, regulatory and risk implications of AI and encouraged dialogue on the future role of Boards in overseeing emerging technologies. 

I was also invited as a panellist at the 4th Labour and Employment Law Conference in Uganda to discuss workplace mental health and wellbeing from a governance perspective. Following the conference, I authored a thought leadership article titled “Beyond Compliance: The Board’s Role in Enabling Workplace Well-being and Mental Health”, which was subsequently published by the Human Resource Managers’ Association of Uganda. 

In February 2026, I completed executive training in the Law and Regulation of Inclusive Finance at the University of Luxembourg, where I was the only legal practitioner from East Africa participating in the programme. The experience reinforced the growing importance of financial inclusion, sustainable governance and responsible business practices within the legal profession. 

As organisations continue to place greater emphasis on governance, transparency and long-term value creation, General Counsel are increasingly positioned to help Boards navigate complexity, manage stakeholder expectations and build resilient institutions capable of sustaining growth in an evolving business environment.