Severino Twinobusingye

Last updated
Severino Twinobusingye
Born
Kigarama Village, Kanungu District
Citizenship Uganda
Education Makerere University, Bachelor of Laws (2008), Masters of Laws (2022)

Law Development Centre, Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (2010)

Contents

Katigondo National Major Seminary, Bachelor of Philosophy, Diploma of Philosophy
Occupations Lawyer, Consultant, public administrator, Lecturer
Employer(s)M/s Twinobusingye Severino and Company Advocates
Notable workConstitutional Petition No. 47 of 2011 (Twinobusingye Severino v. Attorney General)

Twinobusingye Severino (born 21 September 1969) is a Ugandan lawyer, Senior Advocate of the High Court of Uganda, lecturer and public administrator. [1] [2] [3] [4]

He is the third vice president of the university and chairperson of the University Council of Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU). [5] [6] [7] [8] He is the president of the Catholic Lawyers Society International (CLASI). [9] [10] [5] [6] He is the founder and managing partner of M/s Twinobusingye Severino and Company Advocates, a position he has held since 2012. [2]

Background and education

Twinobusingye was born in Kigarama Village, Nyamirama Sub-county, in Kinkizi West Constituency, Kanungu District. [2] [11]

Twinobusingye attended his primary education at Kaniabizo Primary School from 1979 to 1980 and St. Peter's Katete Primary School from 1981 to 1985, both located in Kanungu District where he served as Head Prefect. [7]

In 1986, he began his secondary education at Apostles of Jesus Bukinda Seminary in Kabale District, where he studied both his O-level from 1986 to 1989 and his A-level from 1990 to 1992. [7]

In 1996, Twinobusingye enrolled at the Law Development Centre in Kampala to pursue a Diploma in Law on a State House of Uganda scholarship, graduating in 1998. [2] While at the Law Development Centre he was elected Minister for Cabinet Affairs in the Law Development Centre Students’ Guild. [7]

In 1997, Twinobusingye enrolled at Katigondo National Major Seminary, where he pursued a concurrent Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, graduating in 2000. [7] During his time at the seminary, he held several leadership positions, including President of the Pro-Life Movement International from 1997 to 1998, Dean for Kabale Diocese from 1997 to 1999, and Arch Dean and Chairman of the College of Deans from 1999 to 2000. [7]

In 1997, Twinobusingye joined Katigondo National Major Seminary for a concurrent Diploma of Philosophy and Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and he graduated in 2000. [7] While at Katigondo National Major Seminary, he served in several leadership roles, including President of the Pro-Life Movement International from 1997 to 1998, Dean for Kabale Diocese from 1997 to 1999, and Arch Dean and Chairman of the College of Deans from 1999 to 2000. [7]

In 2003, he enrolled at Makerere University to pursue a Bachelor of Laws, graduating in 2008. [12] [13] In 2007, Twinobusingye enrolled for a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice at Law Development Centre and he graduated in 2010. [7] In 2022,Twinobusingye graduated with a Master of Laws (LLM) at Makerere University. [14] [7]

Career

Political career

After completing his A-level education, Twinobusingye entered politics in Rukungiri District, serving as a political assistant to Amama Mbabazi. [2]

Twinobusingye served as Youth Councillor representing Nyamirama Sub-county in the Rukungiri District Youth Council from 1993 to 1996. [2] [7]

Twinobusingye is a member of the Uganda Law Society, African Bar Association, East Africa Law Society, Catholic Bar Association, Catholic Lawyers Society International, and Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society. [15] He serves as President and Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Catholic Lawyers Society International (CLSI). [8] [7]

From 2003 to 2011, Twinobusingye served at the Uganda Electoral Commission as an Election Management Officer and also worked in its legal department. [2] [12]

In 2012, Twinobusingye is the established M/s Twinobusingye Severino and Company Advocates, where he serves as managing partner and practicing lawyer. [3] [2]

From 2011 to 2016, he served as Legal Counsel for Nyamirama Catholic Parish in the Kabale Catholic Diocese. [16] [7]

In 2016, Twinobusingye Severino was part of the legal team representing Amama Mbabazi in Presidential Election Petition No. 1 of 2016 before the Supreme Court of Uganda. The petition challenged the validity of the presidential election results declared by the Electoral Commission of Uganda in favor of Yoweri Museveni in the 2016 Ugandan general election. [17] [18] [4] [19] [20]

In 2011, Twinobusingye Severino filed Constitutional Petition No. 47 of 2011 (Twinobusingye Severino v. Attorney General), challenging a resolution of the Parliament of Uganda that established an ad-hoc committee to investigate Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and two other Cabinet ministers, Sam Kuteesa and Hillary Onek, over allegations of soliciting bribes from foreign oil exploration firms and requiring them to vacate their offices before the investigations were completed. [21] [22] [23] [24] Justice Steven Kavuma ruled that the committee was unconstitutional. [25] [26] [11] The Constitutional Court of Uganda subsequently issued an injunction halting aspects of Parliament’s resolution. [21] [26] In 2013, Severino was awarded UGX 12.9 billion in legal fees by the Constitutional Court of Uganda. [21] [22] [3] [11]

Twinobusingye served as a legal consultant for the Government of Uganda in the case "Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda)" at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), advising during the post-judgment and reparations proceedings. [7]

In 2022, Twinobusingye represented Olympia Hostel, located in Kikoni, Makerere, in a case in which a Makerere University student accused the hostel’s custodian of sexual abuse during her residency. [27]

Twinobusingye serves as a legal advisor to Salim Saleh in the Office of the President of Uganda. [28] [7] He is also a legal adviser to Yoweri Museveni. [29]

Consulting career

In 2001, Severino worked as a Resource Person on a European Union funded Project for Constitutional Review under Uganda Gender Resource Centre, to collect views across the country for the purpose of constitutional review. [8] [30]

From 2001 to 2002, Severino worked as a Project Manager for a project called "Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project (NECDP) / Community and Home Initiatives for Long-Term Development (CHILD)" under the Ministry of Health of Uganda. He was responsible for overseeing activities in Rukungiri and Kanungu Districts. [2] [8]

From 2014 to 2015, he served at Makerere University as a legal consultant for investments, transaction advisor, and member of the Makerere University Infrastructure Development (“Marshall”) Plan Committee. He also served as Corporation Secretary for Mak Holdings Ltd and the Makerere University Endowment Fund. [7]

In 2014 and 2015, he was a member of the National Organising Committee for Pope Francis’s visit to Uganda and served as Company Secretary of Uganda Martyrs Shrines Redevelopment Ltd (UMSRL), a company established by the Uganda Episcopal Conference to manage procurement and taxation matters related to the visit and to oversee the renovation of Catholic shrines in Uganda. [31]

Teaching and lecturing career

From November 1989 to February 1990, he taught English Language at St. Peter’s Katete Primary School as a licensed teacher. [7]

He served as a part-time licensed teacher of English Language, Literature in English, and European History at several schools in Kanungu District, including Nyakinoni Secondary School, Kihihi High School, St. Pius Secondary School Nyamwegabira, St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School Kambuga, and Sanyo Nursery School Kambuga. [7]

Twinobusingye is a lecturer of Criminology and Penology, Commercial Law, and Labour Law at Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi. [7] [32]

Public administration career

Twinobusingye has served as Chairperson of the Board of Governors of Pollart des Places Senior Secondary School, Nyamirama. [7]

Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU)

Twinobusingye has been involved in the establishment of the Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU). He serves as chairperson of the University Council and also as the third vice President. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Uganda Law Society

Twinobusingye served in various leadership roles in the Uganda Law Society that include:

  • Chairperson, Judicial Affairs Committee from 2018 to 2019. [15] [7]
  • Member, The Rule of Law and Strategic Litigation Committee in 2017. [33]
  • Member, Strategic Mobilisation Committee in 2018. [34] [7]
  • Chairperson, Human Rights and Governance Cluster in 2017. [7]

See also

References

  1. "Africa highlights: Tuesday 1 March 2016, as it happened". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Shs13b given to me for Mbabazi case was peanuts, says lawyer". Monitor. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  3. 1 2 3 "Mbabazi hires 500 lawyers to defend held supporters". Monitor. 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  4. 1 2 "Mbabazi lawyers cite flaws in tally sheets and results forms". Monitor. 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  5. 1 2 3 Mushabe, Lawrence. "Cabinet Approves Shs180bn for Karamoja Peace and Technology Varsity Project". Nilepost News. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  6. 1 2 3 Acheng, Jennifer (2024-03-18). "KAPATU University Council moves Institution accredited by National Council for Higher Education". Etoil A Karamoja. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Strategic Leadership - KAPATU Project". 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Admin, CLASI (2022-10-01). "Mr. Twinobusingye Severino - Catholic Lawyers Society International" . Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  9. "Catholic lawyers launch drive to build varsity in Karamoja". Monitor. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  10. Oyel, Richard. "Karamoja Peace and Technology University Launched in Kotido". Nilepost News. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  11. 1 2 3 "MPs want Nyombi off Parliament cases". Monitor. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  12. 1 2 The EC Bulletin (PDF) (1 ed.). Uganda: The Electoral Commission of Uganda. May 2008. p. 10.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. Class of 2008 (PDF). Uganda: Makerere University News. p. 6.
  14. THE 72nd CONGREGATION OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR THE CONFERMENT OF DEGREES AND PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMAS (PDF). Uganda: Makerere University News. 2022-05-23. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. 1 2 THE UGANDA LAW SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 (PDF). Uganda: Uganda Law Society. 2022. p. 28.
  16. "Radio Maria". Kabale Diocese Official Website. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  17. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITION NO. O1 OF 2016 (PDF). Uganda: The Judiciary of the Republic of Uganda. 2016.
  18. "Mbabazi apinga ushindi wa Museveni kortini". BBC News Swahili (in Swahili). 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  19. Reporter, Vision. "IN PICTURES: Polls petition, Day 2". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  20. Reporter, Vision. "As it happened: Day three of election petition". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  21. 1 2 3 Reporter, Vision. "Govt files appeal in sh13b oil case". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  22. 1 2 Reporter, Vision. "AG Nyombi tasked to explain sh12.9b award". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  23. Reporter, Vision. "Mbabazi supporter bags sh13b in oil case". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  24. "Pro-gay lawyers to demand Shs15b in costs". Monitor. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  25. Reporter, Vision. "Judge wants House ad-hoc committees annulled". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  26. 1 2 Reporter, Vision. "Court rejects Parliament bid on oil probes". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  27. "Mak student, hostel trade barbs over rape claims". Monitor. 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  28. Reporter, UG Diplomat (2025-05-26). "President Museveni Applauds Catholic Church's Role In Uganda's Dev't". UG Diplomat. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  29. Enuru, Eddy. "Papal Nuncio Opens Newly Constructed Moroto Diocese Cathedral". Nilepost News. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  30. "Mr. Twinobusingye Severino - KAPATU Project Chairperson University Council". 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  31. "Mbabazi, Lwanga enter deal to develop shrines". Monitor. 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  32. "Criminology Research Notes (CRIM 221006) by Twinobusingye Severino". studocu. Uganda Martyrs University. Retrieved 2026-02-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. UGANDA LAW SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2017 (PDF). Uganda: UGANDA LAW SOCIETY. 2017. p. 43.
  34. Uganda Law Society Annual Report 2018 (PDF). Uganda: Uganda Law Society. 2018. p. 39.