September 30, 2025
“What does it mean to be a lawyer AND a Christian?”
This is the question that’s come up time and time again in our first few days in Uganda. In Uganda, there is a common perception that it isn’t possible to be both a lawyer and a Christian, that lawyers are corrupt liars who don’t act in their clients’ best interests but act out of selfish motives. The Ugandan Christian Lawyers’ Fraternity (UCLF) exists to challenge that belief. Even in the brief time that we have been here, we have seen and been encouraged by our UCLF brothers and sisters, whose lives are powerful testimonies to the way God transforms and redeems individual lawyers and the profession as a whole.
It has been a whirlwind few days, beginning with a warm welcome to the Welo Inn where we are staying, a lovely guesthouse on a hill with a view of busy, energetic Kampala below. Kampala never seems to rest – all day, the traffic surges along the roads, and all night, the lights twinkle from below, while the sound of music, laughter and boda engines fill the cool air. Our first impressions of Kampala are that it can be overwhelming, but it is certainly never boring!! Case in point: we spotted a man on rollerskates hitching a free ride by holding onto the side of a garbage truck – he was even doing some cool tricks with his skates!
On Saturday, our first day together as a team, Sandra, the HR coordinator at UCLF, and a law student, Edna, visited us at Welo and led us in a beautiful time of fellowship. We prayed and sang in English and Lugunda (one of the major languages spoken in Uganda). Our dauntless leader Mhairi, who had just gotten off a 10 hour flight from London, shared a wonderful reflection on Hebrews 10 – how Christ, through his death and resurrection, reconciles us to God and to each other, so that we can encourage and spur each other on in our faith, as part of the body of Christ. The passage set the tone for our visit here to Uganda – to encourage and be encouraged by our Ugandan brothers and sisters, to partner with each other in the work God has given us as lawyers and advocates.
The following day was Sunday, and we set out early in the morning for Ssenge Baptist Church, with Sandra and Lilian, a lawyer from UCLF. We were privileged to attend on a day when baptisms were happening, and to witness many people being welcomed into membership at the church. Lillian was quizzed by Pastor Bosco about the perception that lawyers cannot also be Christians (we were all very relieved that she was put on the stand and not us!) She spoke with conviction and clarity about her own journey of recognising that God loves justice and righteousness, and that Christian lawyers can play a crucial part in advocating for justice for the oppressed and the voiceless. The theme of being reconciled to God and to each other also arose in Pastor Bosco’s message on Ephesians – a theme that I am sure will continue to resonate with all of us in the coming days.
More updates to come as we continue to explore the question of what it means to be both a lawyer and a Christian in the Ugandan legal context!