Construction & Infrastructure · Cross-Border Investment
K&K Advocates advises the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Uganda's legal and regulatory framework as it deploys a USD 150 million investment to develop an international airport and 15 hotels in the Karamoja region of Northern Uganda.
Matter Value: USD 150,000,000
Status: Ongoing
The Karamoja region of Northern Uganda is one of the country's most remote and historically underserved areas, rich in natural resources and wildlife but poorly connected to domestic and international markets. The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry identified Karamoja as a destination for transformative investment: a new international airport at Kidepo and a corridor of 15 hotels designed to open the region to international tourism, stimulate the local economy, and create a modern infrastructure platform for export. Deploying an initial USD 150 million investment in Northern Uganda required navigating the intersection of Ugandan public procurement law, government-to-investor contracting frameworks, aviation regulatory requirements, and the specific legal architecture governing foreign investment in public infrastructure.
K&K Advocates was retained to provide comprehensive legal advisory services on the Ugandan law dimensions of the investment. Our work has spanned the full early-stage architecture of the project: advising on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Uganda and the Sharjah Chamber; drafting contracts for the design and feasibility study phase; and advising on the procurement and selection process for service providers engaged in the airport's construction. Our role is to ensure that the client's investment is properly structured under Ugandan law at every stage, from the sovereign-level MOU through to the individual service contracts governing delivery on the ground.
Lead Partner: Edwin Karugire
Team: Pheonah Nankunda
K&K Advocates acted as Ugandan counsel to Uganda Railways Corporation alongside the Attorney General's Chambers and international co-counsel Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP. The London tribunal dismissed all claims and awarded Uganda costs in excess of USD 3.6 million and GBP 200,000.
K&K Advocates acted as counsel for Diamond Trust Bank Uganda and Diamond Trust Bank Kenya throughout all three levels of court, securing dismissal of a claim seeking UGX 34 billion and USD 23 Million, and the unconditional release of all security.
K&K Advocates successfully represented Absa Bank Uganda Limited before the Constitutional Court, defending the validity of Regulation 13 of the Mortgage Regulations in a challenge brought by a defaulting borrower seeking to frustrate security enforcement.
Legal solutions tailored to you