Fox Odoi-Oywelowo

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Fox Odoi-Oywelowo
Oywelowo.jpg
Born1968, December, 23rd
NationalityUgandan
OccupationAdvocate, Legislator
Years active1993 - Present

Fox Odoi-Oywelowo is a Ugandan Advocate and legislator. Odoi-Oywelowo is a former Senior Legal Counsel to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni.

On January 14th 2021, Fox Odoi-Oywelowo was elected Member of Uganda's Eleventh Parliament representing West Budama North East Constituency.  In June, he took over leadership of the Human Rights Committee of Parliament.  An avid Human Rights Advocate and defender, he vows to hold every institution accountable for Human rights violations..[1]

Biography[]

Fox Odoi-Oywelowo was born on 23 December 1968 in West Budama, in the East of Uganda. He went to Manjasi High School before joining St Peter's College, Tororo where he completed his High School. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo later enrolled at Makerere University where he pursued Bachelors Degree in Law (LLB Hons), graduating in 1992. Between 1992 and 1993, he pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, graduating in 1993.

In 2018, he earned a Master of Laws, International Business Law, from Uganda Christian University.

Legal career[]

Fox Odoi-Oywelowo started out as Personal Assistant to Justice J.P. Berko (Ghanaian Expatriate Judge) on an overseas Development Agency/ Judiciary Assistance Programme before serving as a legal assistant in a private Law firm in Kampala.

He joined State House Legal Department in 1995 and became the head of the department in 1996. Between 1996 and 1998, Fox Odoi-Oywelowo was part of the investigation Team into Effective strength of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF). The team probed the presence of ‘ghost’ soldiers on the pay rolls of the UPDF. In 1999, he led a State House Special Audit Team into Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), to probe tax evasion. The audit led to the introduction of systems aimed at the prevention of dumping transit goods. The audit also introduced better transit goods convoy management and re-export verification and documentation.

Fox Odoi-Oywelowo is also a consummate Constitutional Law practitioner and has filed several constitutional petitions that have improved on the jurisprudence of Uganda. A Locus Classicus of Fox Odoi-Oywelowo and James Akampumuza V Attorney General is taught in all Law Schools in Uganda.

From 2000-2010, Odoi-Oywelowo was the head of prosecutions for Uganda People's Defence Forces unit, the Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) that later transformed into the Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB) which is currently Special Forces Command (SFC).

While at State House, he was also appointed a member of the Expanded Committee of Inquiry into the causes of the clashes between the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) and the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in Kisangani.[2]

In 2010, Odoi-Oywelowo joined the Directorate of Civil Litigation in Uganda's Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ministry, serving as Senior Principal State Attorney.

He continues to practice Law as an Advocate of the Courts of Judicature having enrolled in 1998. .

Legislative career[]

In 2011, Fox Odoi-Oywelowo was elected as Member of the Ninth Parliament of Uganda representing West Budama North Constituency. While in parliament, he was Chairman, Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline. He also served as member of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and the Budget Committee. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo was on 14 January 2021, re-elected to the Parliament of Uganda to represent West Budama North East Constituency, winning a seat as a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.[3] He is the first Member of Parliament to represent the constituency that was curved out of West Budama North Constituency in 2020.

During his 2011-2016 tenure, Fox Odoi-Oywelowo was among advocates who challenged Uganda's anti-gay law both in parliament and the Constitutional Court.[4] As a result, the Constitutional Court declared the Anti-gay Law unconstitutional.[5] As a Member of Parliament, Fox Odoi-Oywelowo advocated for the abolition of the Death Penalty and sought the permission of parliament together with others to introduce a Private Members Bill for this purpose. He also advocated for the legalization of abortion and the introduction of safe abortion clinics as the only practical way to save the lives of thousands of mothers lost to unsafe abortion practices.[6]

Personal life[]

Fox Odoi-Oywelowo is married and has four children. He is also a practicing Roman Catholic.

References[]

  1. ^ Writer, TRACY TEDDY NAYIGA | PML Daily Staff (2020-09-06). "Former Museveni legal Counsel Fox Odoi wins West Budama North-East NRM flag". PML Daily. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  2. ^ "The Forces Of Rwanda And Uganda Fight in Congo (Published 2000)". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2000-06-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  3. ^ www.independent.co.ug https://www.independent.co.ug/fox-odoi-jumps-into-race-to-become-deputy-speaker/. Retrieved 2021-02-02. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "Anti-Gay Law Will be Overturned Say Uganda's Campaigners". Inter Press Service. 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  5. ^ Smith, David; correspondent, Africa (2014-08-01). "Uganda anti-gay law declared 'null and void' by constitutional court". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  6. ^ "Legalize abortion- MP Fox Odoi". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
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