Lydia Mugambe


Lydia Mugambe, is a Ugandan lawyer and judge at the High Court of Uganda. She was appointed to that court by president Yoweri Museveni, on 3 May 2013.

Background and education

She graduated from the Faculty of Law of Makerere University, Uganda's largest and oldest public university, with a Bachelor of Laws. The following year, she was awarded a Diploma in Legal Practice by the Law Development Centre, in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. She also holds a Master of Laws from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Career

Prior to her appointment to the High Court, Mugambe served as a Magistrate in Uganda's lower courts. She was appointed to the High Court of Uganda on 15 May 2013. She is assigned to the Civil Division of the court.
In January 2017, Justice Mugambe delivered a judgement against Mulago National Referral Hospital, which had been sued by Jennifer Musimenta and her husband Micheal Mubangaizi, for the disappearance of their newborn baby. The judge found the hospital culpable of negligence. Mugambe also awarded the couple USh85 million in damages.
The ruling is hailed by legal observers and non-profit organisations in Uganda, as a watershed judgment, towards the recognition of "the rights of poor, vulnerable and marginalized women". The ruling was nominated for the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development , award in 2017.