Elizabeth Ibanda-Nahamya is a Ugandan High Court judge who was appointed in March 2009. She holds an LLB from Makerere University in Kampala (1975), a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Law Development Centre, also in Kampala (1976), and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven, USA (1980).

Elizabeth Ibanda-Nahamya’s career commenced as an Assistant lecturer with the Law Development Centre, Kampala in 1976 for about a year. She transitioned to private practice working as an advocate with Mawaali & Co. Advocates from 1979 to 1980 and later as a Senior Legal Assistant at Katende, Sempebwa & Co. Advocates from 1990 to 1992. Elizabeth worked as a part-time lecturer with the Central Bank of Lesotho and the National University of Lesotho Maseru from 1980 to 1981, teaching Law of Contract and Company Law. She subsequently obtained a permanent role in the legal academy at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria from 1981 to 1989. In 1993, Elizabeth started her own firm under the name Ibanda Nahamya & Co. Advocates. Her depth of knowledge in International Criminal Law, Human Rights, and International Humanitarian Law led to her appointment as a judge for the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda from 2009 to 2017.

Judge Ibanda-Nahamya’s international career begun six years after she started her firm. She became the Trials Chamber Coordinator for the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha in Tanzania. Eight years after working diligently in this position she was appointed as Deputy Principal Defender and later as Principal Defender for The Special Court for Sierra Leone set up jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations. In 2013, Ibanda-Nahamya was appointed as judge of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). Judge Ibanda- Nahamya has previously engaged in consultancy for the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank. She has also participated in numerous conferences throughout her career and is a member of both local and international associations contributing immensely towards their development and impact.