Welcome to Lex Amica Journal’s weekly roundup of notable developments in African constitutionalism. Each week, we highlight important court rulings, legislative changes, constitutional reforms, scholarly articles, and commentary that shape constitutionalism across the continent.

Welcome to Lex Amica Journal’s weekly roundup of notable developments in African constitutionalism. Each week, we highlight important court rulings, legislative changes, constitutional reforms, scholarly articles, and commentary that shape constitutionalism across the continent.

Chad is moving closer to allowing its president to serve an unlimited number of terms after the lower house of Parliament approved significant constitutional amendments this week.

Guinea, a West African nation with a population of 14.8 million, is set to hold a constitutional referendum on 21 September 2025 under the leadership of Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya’s military junta, which came to power after a coup on 5 September 2021.

By Idris Osong’o* 1. Introduction In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered an Advisory Opinion  declaring...

We are delighted to share that Lex Amica has been honoured with the Digital Excellence Award from the Radical New Bar of the Uganda Law Society.

The rise of algorithmic warfare means artificial intelligence is now reshaping how wars are fought. Although these advancements lower the immediate danger to troops in the field, they introduce complex legal and ethical dilemmas. Central to the debate is whether Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems can operate within the narrow confines of International Humanitarian Law.

We have seen recent extreme judicial restraint and erroneous interpretations from the Ugandan Judiciary that have denied accused persons the right to bail, the most prominent being Dr Kiiza Besigye and his aide Obed Lutale, who have been languishing in prison for over 260 days.

We welcome submissions on any topic related to public law, with a special focus on constitutional law in Africa. Suitable subjects include real-time updates on landmark constitutional cases, legislative amendments, constitution-making efforts, as well as thoughtful analyses of major issues in comparative constitutional law. We also encourage book reviews, debates, and responses to articles published in leading journals.

In the past weeks, there has been a wave of public reactions to the Constitutional Court’s decision in Women’s Probono Initiative v Attorney General (the polygamy decision henceforth). The judgement, which upheld the legality of polygamy under customary and Islamic marriage laws, has once again renewed the debate on the law’s prescription of who to love, how to love, and, particularly this time, how many people one can love.

Uganda’s Constitution guarantees the right to property, but Indigenous communities like the Batwa continue to face exclusion from ancestral lands. Despite international protections, a recent Constitutional Court ruling failed to recognize their land claims, focusing instead on affirmative action. This reflects Uganda’s broader struggle to align its laws with Indigenous rights. True justice requires embracing indigenous identity, codifying aboriginal title, and ensuring land r

On 13th March 2025, Kawempe North Constituency went to the polls to elect a Member of Parliament. This exercise was dominated by an unprecedented wave of violence orchestrated by Security Forces.  This Article revisits the violent scenes that have characterized Uganda’s elections from colonial days to the 2021 General election. It then narrows down to the Kawempe North By-Election and the resultant Election Petition specifically searching for an answer to the question; Who be

Can every accused person pay cash bail? Of course not! Cash bail presents itself as among the silent contributors to increased pretrial detention in Uganda and in many cases a gross violation of the 1995 constitution.

The NRM party plans to enact a law providing for the retrial of civilians in military courts. Find out why this plan is unconstitutional.

Article 21 of the Constitution of Uganda, 1995, guarantees every the right to equality and the right to freedom from discrimination.

An Introduction to Human Rights in Uganda: Article 20 of the Constitution of Uganda, 1995. Introduction The Constitution of Uganda, in...

Introduction The Industrial Court is a specialized Court that is mandated to handle and resolve Labour and Employment disputes between...

Introduction The Tax Appeals Tribunal (TAT) was established to offer an accessible, efficient, and independent platform for taxpayers to...