On Saturday, lawyer Bernard Oundo was declared the winner of the Uganda Law Society (ULS) presidential race by the presiding officer of the ULS elections, George Omunyokol.
Oundo beat five candidates by fairly a large margin as he gathered 1056 votes.
His runner-up was Diana Ninsiima Kibuuka, who polled 723 votes followed by Diana Angwech, the outgoing vice president of ULS.
Rayan Chemisto Shuaib Kubai came in the fourth position with 133 votes while Olivia Kyarimpa Matovu came in the fifth position with 52 votes. Mukuve Mugaga Karemire trailed with 15 votes.
Oundo’s win makes him the first Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumni to become the ULS president. He replaces Pheona Wall, who has been in office since September 2020.
Who is Bernard Oundo?
Bernard Oundo is a Senior Partner at Citadel Advocates and the current President of the East Africa Law Society.
He is a certified Public-Private Partnership (PPP) specialist with over 10 years of experience in project finance gained from various advisory roles on government privatization and PPP projects.
He is experienced in evaluating project proposals, structuring project financing, negotiating concession agreements as well as carrying out due diligence.
Some of the projects he worked on include the Standard Gauge Railway line, crude oil pipeline, transmission lines, and oil refinery spanning four countries Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and Rwanda under the Northern Corridor Initiative.
Prior to joining legal private practice, he had worked for close to nine years with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, first as a Legal Counsel with the Privatisation Unit and thereafter with the Department of Project Analysis and PPPs.
He was also a member of the Board of the Uganda Railways Corporation, a position he held for three years.
He was responsible for providing guidance and oversight support to the management of the Corporation in the execution of its core mandate of monitoring the Rift Valley Railway Concession and ensuring that the Concessionaire meets its obligations under the Concession Agreement.
Oundo holds a Master of Laws in Petroleum Law and Policy with distinction from the University of Dundee – United Kingdom.
He also holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (Summa cum Laude), from Uganda Christian University, and a Master of Laws, from Makerere University.