Meet Justus Karuhanga, a commercial and corporate law champion whose distinguished professional journey spans law, government, business, governance, conservation, agriculture, tourism, culture and national development.
Justus is a graduate of law from Makerere University and an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda. He was called to the Bar in 2001. He previously practised with a top law firm in Uganda before joining State House as Private Secretary–Legal to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Uganda, from 2003 to 2009. That position exposed him to hands-on experience in various intricate legal matters and placed him at the heart of some of the country’s most significant legal and institutional questions.
His law firm, which he founded with Mr Edgar Tabaro,KTA Advocates, was named by Public Opinions as Uganda’s Best Infrastructural Development Law Firm. The firm was also honoured with the Public Opinions Responsible Investment Global Award for upholding international best practices and standards. KTA was further accredited by Public Opinions on the list of the Best 100 Law Firms in Uganda. These recognitions reflect the firm’s contribution to professional legal practice and its role in supporting investment and development.
Justus also once served as Secretary of a Commission of Inquiry that investigated land relations in the country. He later served as Principal State Attorney in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Throughout his career, he has maintained a close working relationship with the First Family of Uganda. Justus promotes the 30 principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
His areas of specialisation include Public-Private Partnerships, Corporate and Commercial Law, land conveyancing, investment advisory and electoral law. He has led the KTA team in various election disputes arising from the 2011 and 2016 rounds of elections, in which the firm represented the Electoral Commission of Uganda. He has also served as Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese of South Ankole of the Province of the Anglican Church of Uganda.
Few professional careers combine as many dimensions as those found in the journey of Justus Karuhanga. His experience brings together government, law, business, governance, conservation, agriculture, tourism, culture and development in a manner that reflects a broad understanding of how different sectors can contribute to national progress.
In government, his experience includes high-level presidential and state legal service. His years of service at State House and within government institutions gave him exposure to public law, constitutional affairs, policy and complex institutional matters.
In law, he brings more than two decades of professional legal practice. His work encompasses corporate and commercial law, public-private partnerships, land, conveyancing, investment and electoral law, giving him experience across several important areas of Uganda’s legal and economic landscape.
In business, his experience extends into corporate, commercial and investment advisory work. He has developed an understanding of the relationship between legal structures, private capital, investment and enterprise.
In governance, his experience includes university,church and corporate institutional leadership. These responsibilities have provided him with opportunities to participate in institutional decision-making,appointments and corporate governance.
In conservation, his work has extended into international leadership in wildlife and environmental protection. His conservation interests connect natural-resource protection with tourism, investment, communities and sustainable development.
In agriculture, he has interests in ranching and livestock. His engagement with agriculture reflects an interest in the potential of Uganda’s agricultural resources to contribute to commercial development, value addition and economic opportunity.
In tourism, his interests include conservation-based tourism and investment. This reflects a broader vision in which Uganda’s wildlife, landscapes and natural resources can contribute to sustainable economic development.
In culture, his interests include heritage preservation and cultural development. Cultural heritage, in this vision, is not only a source of identity but also an asset capable of supporting tourism and community development.
In development, his experience and interests focus on connecting natural resources, capital, institutions and communities. This approach recognises that sustainable development requires cooperation across sectors and the creation of structures through which different stakeholders can participate and benefit.
The leadership philosophy reflected in Justus Karuhanga’s career is built around several recurring principles.
First, institutions matter. Sustainable development requires strong institutions and accountable governance.
Second, law should enable development. Legal frameworks should facilitate investment while protecting public and community interests. In this approach, law becomes an instrument through which development can take place within clear and responsible institutional structures.
Third, conservation must create value. Wildlife and natural resources should generate sustainable economic benefits, ensuring that conservation can contribute to livelihoods, tourism and broader development.
Fourth, government and private capital must collaborate. Major national development challenges require effective public-private partnerships that bring together the strengths and resources of both the public and private sectors.
Fifth, communities must participate. Development and conservation are more sustainable when communities share in the benefits and have a meaningful stake in the outcomes.
Sixth, agriculture must become commercial. Uganda’s agricultural resources should support value addition, employment and exports, creating greater economic opportunities from the country’s productive capacity.
Seventh, culture is an economic asset. Cultural heritage can support identity, tourism and community development while contributing to the preservation and promotion of Uganda’s rich heritage.
The strategic areas of expertise associated with Justus Karuhanga’s career are broad. In legal practice, they include corporate, commercial,land,conveyancing, electoral, public law, investment and public-private partnerships.
In government, his experience encompasses presidential advisory work, policy, constitutional affairs, public institutions and land governance. In governance, his experience includes board leadership, university governance, church governance,appointments and corporate governance.
In conservation, his areas of interest include wildlife, protected areas, conservation finance, carbon, tourism and communities. In business, they include investment, agriculture, livestock, real estate, tourism and strategic partnerships.
In development, his interests include public-private partnerships, rural development, value addition and community development. Together, these areas demonstrate the breadth of experience that has characterised his professional journey.
Based on his accumulated experience, Justus Karuhanga is particularly positioned for leadership and advisory roles involving public-private partnerships, investment facilitation, corporate governance, conservation finance, tourism development, carbon markets, natural-resource governance, agricultural commercialisation, livestock and beef value chains, land governance,higher-education governance, international development, cultural tourism, community-based conservation and African economic development.
Justus Karuhanga is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda, senior legal and governance professional,former presidential legal advisor, conservation leader, investor, entrepreneur and development strategist.
He was Called to the Ugandan Bar in 2001, he has built a career spanning private legal practice, government, State House, corporate advisory, public-private partnerships, higher-education governance, church leadership and international conservation.
He served as Private Secretary–Legal to the President of Uganda from 2003 to 2009, subsequently worked as a Principal State Attorney in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and served as Secretary to a Commission of Inquiry into Land Relations in Uganda.
He is a founding senior figure at KTA Advocates, with professional expertise in corporate and commercial law, investment, public-private partnerships, land, conveyancing and electoral law.His leadership experience extends into higher education, where he has served as a Council Member of Makerere University Business School and Chairperson of its Appointments Board. He also serves as Chancellor of the Diocese of South Ankole, Church of Uganda.
Internationally, he serves as Country Director–Uganda at Space for Giants, working at the intersection of wildlife conservation, government, tourism, investment, environmental governance and community development.
His entrepreneurial interests include agriculture, Ankole/Sanga cattle ranching, livestock value chains, tourism, conservation, cultural heritage and investment.
His professional journey is characterised by a distinctive ability to connect law, government, private capital, institutions, conservation and communities in pursuit of sustainable national development.The professional positioning of Justus Karuhanga can therefore be expressed in one line: a Lawyer,Governance Leader, Conservationist and Entrepreneur Connecting Government,Capital,Institutions,Communities and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development.
His professional brand rests on several interconnected strengths. Law represents his legal expertise and institutional understanding. Leadership reflects his experience in government, university and church governance. Investment encompasses business,public-private partnerships and strategic partnerships.
Justus Karuhanga’s career is distinguished by its breadth and its ability to bridge sectors.From State House to the courtroom; from university governance to the Church; from corporate boardrooms to wildlife landscapes; from conservation to ranching and agriculture, his professional journey reflects a sustained interest in institutions, investment, natural resources, communities and Uganda’s long-term development.
He represents a generation of Ugandan professionals whose experience crosses the traditional boundaries between public service, private enterprise, law, conservation and social leadership.
The story of Justus Karuhanga is ultimately a story of breadth, experience and service across sectors. It is the story of a lawyer who has moved between government and private practice, a professional who has combined legal expertise with investment and governance, and a leader whose interests extend from corporate boardrooms to conservation landscapes,from agriculture and livestock to tourism and cultural heritage.
His journey demonstrates the possibilities that emerge when professional knowledge is combined with institutional experience and a commitment to development. It is a career defined by connections:connecting law with investment,government with private capital, conservation with tourism, agriculture with value addition, institutions with communities and Uganda’s natural and human resources with opportunities for sustainable development.
Justus Karuhanga’s professional journey therefore stands as an inspirational example of a Ugandan career that has consistently crossed boundaries while remaining anchored in law, institutions, investment, conservation, enterprise and development.
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