James Munange Ogoola


Justice James Ogoola is the former Principal Judge of the High Court of Uganda and a Justice of the COMESA Court of Justice in Lusaka, Zambia. He is the chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission of Uganda. Previously, he served as the chairman of the commission of inquiry into the mismanagement of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He was an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda. He is a member of The East African Court of Justice.

Early life and education

Justice Ogoola was born an only child to Mr. and Mrs Yukana Madangu on 15 August 1945 at Lumino, Busia in the then Bukedi district. His mother, Norah Akuku, Nataboona from the Bataboona clan, died when he was five and he was thus raised by relativesHe attended Nabumali High School for his O-Level studies and Kings College Budo for his A-Level education. He studied law at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, from 1966 until 1969, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. His degree of Master of Laws, was obtained from Columbia University in 1974. He also holds the Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre in Kampala, obtained in 1997.

Law

Beginning in 1969, James Ogoola has worked in different capacities, including the following:
Ogoola leisure time is taken up almost entirely by matters of personal faith. He has just completed a draft translation of the New Testament Bible into his mother tongue, Lusamia.
In 2009, Ogoola's first collection of poems, Songs of Paradise: A Harvest of Poetry and Verse, was published, to favourable critical acclaim. One reviewer called it a "landmark for the industry". For the first time in more than 30 years, the media showed a lot of interest in the book. The Observer called it "a jewel, and one to read once and again and enjoy more each time".
The Independent called it "one heck of a piece of writing" but wondered why there was nothing before 2005. On its largely Christian themes, he said: "Ogoola has attempted to paraphrase biblical passages in a text that is every inch prose but chopped and arranged as to appear as poetry".

Personal Life

Justice Ogoola is married to Florence Wandera and they have 5 adult children between them.

Published works