Philip Eriya Nsaja

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Philip is an Associate in the Dispute Resolution and Litigation department of MMAKS Advocates (ALN Uganda), a firm ranked by Chambers Global 2026 (Band 1, Corporate/Commercial; ranked, Dispute Resolution), recognized as top tier by Legal 500, IFLR1000 and WTR 1000, and a member of ALN, an alliance of leading firms across 15 African jurisdictions. His practice covers commercial and banking litigation before the High Court of Uganda (Commercial Division), tax disputes before the Tax Appeals Tribunal, the enforcement of arbitral awards, and corporate and transactional support. A common law trained, English language advocate, he acts for central and commercial banks, private equity funds and multinationals, frequently in cross-border disputes and alongside senior counsel on high-value matters. He is passionate about using AI-assisted workflows for legal research, drafting and litigation support, with strict citation verification, to improve speed and quality control for clients.

Philip holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Makerere University and First-Class Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre.

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

• Uganda Law Society

• East African Law Society

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

2023                Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice

2016 - 2021    Bachelor of Laws, LL.B (Hons), Makerere University

Career summary

SEPT 2025 – TO DATE Associate, MMAKS Advocates, Uganda

MAR 2023 – SEPT 2025 Legal Trainee, MMAKS Advocates, Uganda

OCT 2022 – JAN 2023   Clerkship Student, MMAKS Advocates, Uganda

SEPT 2020                     Intern, Okalang Law Chambers, Uganda

JUN 2019 – AUG 2019  Intern, MMAKS Advocates, Uganda

areas of expertise

• Dispute Resolution
• Banking and Financial Services Litigation
• Insolvency and Receivership
• Regulatory and Insurance Disputes

• Property Conveyancing 

  LANGUAGE

• English
• Lusoga

TOP matters

Banking and Financial Services Litigation

• Acting for the Central Bank of Uganda, as liquidator of Greenland Bank (in liquidation), in defence of a USD 36m claim by 27 former shareholders of the said Greenland Bank (in liquidation). The claim alleges breach of statutory duty in relation to resolution of the Bank and seeks declarations, accounts and damages arising from the liquidation of Greenland Bank, a matter raising novel questions on the Central Bank’s resolution of distressed banks.

• Acting for one of Uganda’s largest banks in defending a challenge to its enforcement of mortgages securing facilities exceeding UGX11.4 billion and USD 397,560, and prosecuting a counterclaim of UGX 8.02 billion against the borrower and guarantors.

• Acting for corporate and individual guarantors resident in India and Dubai in proceedings to set aside an ex parte decree on a UGX8.25 billion guarantee claim, raising service out of jurisdiction, the discharge of guarantees through impairment of securities, penal interest and laches.

• Successfully acted for SFC Finance Limited, a Private Equity Fund in litigation initiated by a debtor to forestall the security realization process in relation to foreclosure and sale of the mortgaged securities, realization through receivership of the plant and equipment charged under the debenture and enforcement of the personal guarantees.

• Acting for SFC Finance in summary proceedings to recover USD3.23 million advanced under a cross-border facility to Ugandan and Rwandan borrowers, enforced against corporate and personal guarantors.

Arbitration and Enforcement of Awards

• Assisting in acting for a foreign central bank in the registration and enforcement in Uganda of an ICSID arbitral award exceeding USD1.3 billion and GBP 999,329.78 against a sovereign state and its central bank in one of the largest award enforcement actions before the Ugandan courts.

• Acting for a group franchisor, alongside Webber Wentzel (South Africa), in resisting an application for interim measures of protection under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act concerning the suspension of a Master Franchise Agreement, including a jurisdictional objection founded on a unilateral election to arbitrate clause.

• Acting for a Chinese company mainly involved in contracting and engineering in the domestic and international markets in an arbitration regarding a construction law dispute with a Government institution. We are acting for the construction company against a claim for USD1.8m being delay damages for non-completion of the construction project pursuant to contract governed by the FIDIC Yellow Book.

Insolvency and Receivership

• Assisting in acting for AfricInvest, a pan-African private equity investor, in the recovery of approximately USD 4.4 million following default under secured financing arrangements, including receiver possession orders under the Insolvency Act and the successful defence of challenges before the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Regulatory and Insurance Disputes

• Assisting in acting for the provider in a successful claim before the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda against an insurer that had declined to indemnify a USD546,000 fraud loss under a commercial crime insurance policy.

Other Matters

• Acted successfully for Rwenzori Hydro (PVT) Ltd, Greenewus Energy Africa Limited and Nyamagasani II HPP Limited in litigation-based enforcement of payment on seven (7) USD10m Advance Payment and Performance Bonds governed by the ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG 758) and issued in the context of hydro power projects.

• Acting as part of the team for a financial institution in a Supreme Court appeal seeking to overturn concurrent High Court and Court of Appeal awards of over UGX 1.8 billion in general damages for the alleged unlawful registration of mortgages on the appellant’s title.

• Successfully acted for an insurance company on the scope and extent of its liability under a USD 3 million performance bond issued in favour of a bank, and on resisting the bank’s demand for payment on the basis that the bond had lapsed under the ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG 758).

Intellectual Property

• Acting for a prominent royal figure from one of the largest kingdoms in Uganda in seeking to restrain infringement of intellectual property rights in an autobiography involving the unauthorized serialization and publication of extracts of the protected works by newspapers.

Employment

• Acting for various banks, corporations and entities in Labour disputes before the Industrial Court of Uganda and the Court of Appeal.