Better Call Derrick!
From back in the day when he would debate at The Action in Africa Center, Kwesaagira Derrick had always wanted to be a lawyer, and now he is living his dream, but he remains very passionate about serving his community through his profession.
“Although I am new in the legal field, I have noticed that even though It is not the case, a lot of people think that legal services are only for rich people. They have adopted the tradition that poor people should not seek legal services. They are not aware that there are things like pro bono services, so they end up suffering without legal redress. They face the loss of their land, violence against women and children, and employment exploitation. This misconception has led to the violation of many people’s rights.”
In 2009, Derrick became one of the Action in Africa (AIA) scholarship beneficiaries. At the time, he was in primary six at St Johnson Primary School in Nakuwadde. He continued to benefit from the scholarship until he finished high school in 2016. This was the time that AIA was piloting its University Scholarship program. In 2017 Derrick was selected for the University Scholarship and was admitted at Kampala International University to study Law.
“During my Law degree, I undertook an Internship with a law firm in Uganda called Kibuuka, Musoke, and Tendo Advocates. After graduating from law school and finishing my bar course, I was welcomed back for clerkship. I have continued to work with the firm since. The firm specializes in commercial law, land law, and family law.”
“But to address the challenge of limited access to legal services because of the misconception of the cost, I have taken it upon myself to provide information about the law to the people around me in my community. For example, I often share legal information with people at my church and sibling's school. During our rotary meetings, I have often delivered talks on the topic of law and justice, and given free legal advice to those communities as well as sensitizing them about free legal services know as pro bono.”
Derrick’s aspirations have not yet reached their peak, he still wishes to do a lot more for himself and his community.
“If someone has supported you for 12 years, you have to show the impact. AIA’s work inspires me to also impact my community. I am currently studying for a Master’s in Sports Law because I like sports and it is an emerging field both socially and legally. It is a new field of law that has just come into our jurisdiction. I am trying to venture into this field because it will be very impactful in the future, especially with the growing sports talent in the country, and the fact that sports empower young people and the nation, all their interests have to be legally protected.
“I also have a strong interest in the oil and gas sector, this is because I am passionate about the environment, so if I am to take on the oil and gas law, I will be focused on its impact. The fact that Uganda is one of the countries that will be kick-starting its oil exploration soon, I think that it will be important to have such expertise. I just want to explore much more about how the environment will react. Oil extraction is likely to come with a mass impact on the environment and we need experts to protect people against the negative impacts.”
