Gladys Namata Kikule

Background

Gladys is an Associate in the Corporate Advisory team at MMAKS Advocates | ALN Uganda. She specializes in advising public and private entities on corporate governance, complex commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, project finance and infrastructure financing, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and general legal advisory.

With over seven years of experience, Gladys has developed a deep understanding of corporate governance matters, supporting both private limited liability companies and publicly listed entities in establishing and implementing best governance practices for business success. She is skilled in drafting and reviewing transactional documents, as well as advising on the structuring of diverse commercial transactions. Gladys advises clients in various sectors including renewable energy, power, banking, insurance, and not-for-profit organizations, where she provides strategic legal guidance tailored to each industry's unique regulatory and operational landscape.

Gladys holds a second-upper class Bachelor of Laws (Hons) Degree from Uganda Christian University, Mukono, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre and a Post Graduate Certificate in mechanics of loan documentation from Middlesex University.

Membership in Professional Societies

Advocate, High Court of Uganda

Uganda Law Society

East African Law Society

Professional Qualifications

• September 2022- Post Graduate Certificate in Mechanics of Loan Documentation, Middlesex University and IFF
• April 2016- Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Law Development Centre, Uganda
• January 2015- LL. B (Hons.), Uganda Christian University, Uganda 

Career Summary    

• Sept 2024- – Date                    Associate, MMAKS Advocates, Kampala
• Jan 2024-Aug 2024                  Senior Associate Ligomarc Advocates, Kampala
• Jan 2022-Dec 2023                  Associate, Ligomarc Advocates, Kampala
• Dec 2017-Dec 2021                 Junior Associate Ligomarc Advocates, Kampala 
• Jan 2016 – Nov 2017               Legal Associate, TASLAF Advocates, Uganda
• Sept 2016 - Sept 2017             Tutorial Assistant (Part-Time) Uganda Christian University
• 2015                                           Clerkship Student, S&L Advocates, Uganda                            

Areas of Expertise

• Corporate Governance 
• Corporate Commercial Advisory
• Corporate M&A
• Insurance

Awards, Accolades and Mentions  

• Certificate of Recognition for Leadership, Secretary to the Uganda Christian Students' Guild Tribunal
• Certificate of Recognition for Leadership, Chairperson of the Uganda Christian University Law Faculty Fellowship 

Language

• English
• Luganda

Top Matters

Corporate Governance 

• Acting as part of the company secretarial team of dfcu limited, a listed company with the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) and ensuring that the company is compliant with corporate governance requirements for listed companies, the Capital Markets Authority, the Uganda Securities Exchange and the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.
• Undertaking a field corporate governance audit for Uganda Development Bank which involved an in-house perusal of the bank’s board and committee meetings minute record spanning a period of five years to ascertain whether all minutes were duly prepared, executed and filed and whether all applicable resolutions were duly extracted and filed.
• Acting as part of the company secretarial team of Old Mutual Life Assurance Uganda including board meeting planning and advisory, management of the shareholders register and ensuring that share certificates are issued to applicable shareholders.
• Acting as part of the company secretarial team of Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company Limited which included board meeting planning and management, corporate governance advisory and compliance support.
• Advising Yunus Social Business on the set-up, management and restructure the board of directors in different social enterprises under Yunus Social Business’ investment portfolio. This was part of an initiative by Yunus Social Business to assist its investees (primarily social enterprises) to fortify their governance structures for better management of investments.
• Advising the Insurance Training College (formerly Insurance Institute of Uganda) on the transformation process of the Institute into the Insurance Training College following the commencement of the Insurance Act No. 6 of 2017. This involved corporate governance advisory and structuring and stakeholder engagements with the Insurance Regulatory Authority, National Council for Higher Education and Uganda Registration Services Bureau.
• Advising the Electricity Regulatory Authority on establishment of a proposed regulators’ association including corporate governance advisory and structuring.

Corporate Advisory

• Advising Uganda Development Corporation (the investment arm of Uganda’s government) on two (2) running and prospective investments in the coffee and mining sectors each valued at over UGX 1 Billion.
• Advising Private Sector Foundation Uganda on the establishment of a construction sector Special Purpose vehicle including undertaking a feasibility study.
• Advising Tangerine Limited trading as Lycamobile on its contractual documents for the entity’s site leases in relation to telecommunication business as well as providing routine legal advisory on regulatory compliance requirements for the entity with local regulators. 
• Undertaking due diligences for potential recipients of funds from Abi Development Limited (formerly Abi Trust (now Abi Development Limited). This involved ascertainment of legal status of entities, confirmation of compliance with licenses, criminal record searches for directors, critical analysis of the main objects of the entities and alignment of the same with the aspirations of the client.
• Advising Insurance Training College on the acquisition of a new home now located at Victoria Park, Old Kira Road, Kamwokya valued at over UGX 1 Billion. The transaction involved advising the board of the college on the legal intricacies of the transaction, conducting a due diligence on the seller, drafting of the sale agreement and following up on execution of the same. Also advised on the financing of the transaction and engaged with the financier on behalf of our client in order to ensure smooth perfection of the Facility.
• Routine advisory on transactional documents for leading financial institutions accounts for various credit transactions including Asset Financing and Leasing and perfection of securities for example mortgages, chattels mortgages and Debentures.