Kampala, Uganda: City lawyer Fred Muwema has declared that his law firm Muwema and Co. Advocates will now operate primarily through digital platforms after being controversially evicted from Kololo offices, describing the development as a “blessing in disguise” that accelerates the firm’s long-standing transition into the digital legal space.
In a press statement issued Friday, March 06, Muwema & Co. Advocates said it had already shifted operations online and continues to serve clients remotely while preparing to announce a new physical address.
“In the meantime, we are working remotely and are reachable on all our existing communication tools,” the firm said in the statement.
The firm also condemned what it described as an illegal eviction carried out by Downtown Investments Ltd on Friday, when its officials, accompanied by police officers, reportedly removed the law firm’s property from their offices at Plot 50 Windsor Crescent, Kololo.
According to the law firm predominantly known for representing high-profile borrowers, the eviction was irregular and intended to frustrate an appeal arising from High Court Civil Suit No. 621 of 2023, in which the landlord obtained judgment against the firm.
The statement claimed that the eviction did not follow due legal process, alleging that no execution process of the court decree had commenced, the mandatory 90-day eviction notice was not issued, and no warrant of eviction had been granted by court for enforcement by police.
“We condemn these wanton criminal acts committed by Downtown Investments Ltd with the support of the police and will do everything necessary to obtain the appropriate legal redress,” the law firm vowed.
A Digital Pivot Years in the Making
Despite the legal dispute, Muwema said the eviction has accelerated a transformation the firm had already begun years ago, migrating legal services into the digital space, a move industry observers say could signal a wider shift in Uganda’s legal sector, where traditional law firms have historically relied on prestigious physical addresses to maintain visibility and prestige.
“This shift reflects the changing nature of professional services globally, where digital presence increasingly matters more than physical office space concentrated in Kampala city and major towns across the country,” a legal analyst said.
Muwema, a Veteran Litigator
Fred Muwema is one of Uganda’s most experienced litigators, with more than three decades in legal practice.
A graduate of Makerere University School of Law in 1993, he founded Muwema & Co. Advocates, which has grown into one of Uganda’s well-known law firms serving clients in sectors such as manufacturing, banking, trade, construction and services.
Over the years, Muwema has handled numerous landmark cases touching on commercial law, constitutional litigation, regulatory frameworks and international trade.
Among the notable matters he has worked on include the 1996 Air India denied boarding case, the 2009 defamation case involving Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Uganda’s largest excise duty refund case on petroleum products in 2010, Litigation on the regulation of power tariffs and sports associations in 2012, the composition of the High Court Anti-Corruption Division in 2016, an anonymous online defamation case against Facebook in Dublin, Ireland and constitutional litigation on the land probe inquiry in 2020.
Other high-profile cases listed under his wealth legal portfolio include: Regulatory cases on mobile money leading to the National Payment Systems Act 2020, cross-border commercial bank lending regulation between 2020 and 2023 and the ongoing disputes involving stamp duty on bank loan instruments and professional indemnity insurance claims by banks.
Muwema, a Champion of Digital Innovation
Beyond courtroom litigation, Muwema has also been involved in technology-driven legal and consumer protection initiatives.
As a co-founder of the Anti-Counterfeit Network, he has led several trademark enforcement cases for global brands including Philips, Colgate, Total, CIPLA, Bic, Oriflame and Del Monte.
Through the network, he also developed Bleep, a digital anti-counterfeit platform that allows consumers to verify the authenticity of products and report counterfeit goods. The platform incorporates BleST (Bleep Security Tag) technology — a scannable tamper-proof security seal that uses geo-mapping to verify genuine products.
Muwema has also contributed technical expertise to the Anti-Counterfeit Goods and Services Bill (2023) currently before Parliament.
A Signal to Uganda’s Legal Industry
Legal analysts say Muwema’s full embrace of digital legal operations could influence other law firms to reconsider traditional office structures.
Globally, particularly in Europe and North America, many law practices now operate through virtual addresses, digital client portals and remote consultations, significantly reducing the need for large physical office spaces.
With the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure in Uganda, analysts believe similar models may gradually emerge in the local legal industry. “If more law firms adopt digital practice models, it could push the regulators to move from brick-and-mortar licensing, which will in turn democratize access to legal services and reduce operational costs,” one Kampala-based legal practitioner said.
For Muwema, the forced exit from Kololo appears to have turned into an unexpected catalyst for change. What began as a property dispute may ultimately reshape how his firm, and possibly many others, deliver legal services in Uganda’s evolving digital era.
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