Staff profile

Ketty joined Durham Law school in January 2020 to undertake PhD in Law. She is a two-time Commonwealth Scholar, supported by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK. Ketty achieved her Master of Laws at University of Warwick in 2017. Her thesis focused on the effect of legal pluralism on land governance in Uganda.

Outside the academia, Ketty has worked in complex conflict and post conflict contexts at various Non-Governmental Organisations in Uganda. She has extensive experience in refugee response, IDP programming, peace building and transitional justice, inclusive education and livelihood. Before joining Durham University, Ketty was a Program Manager at Finnish Refugee Council where she oversaw the overall country program. What motivates her most is making a difference in people’s lives especially the marginalised. Ketty developed interest in land rights following her personal experience and professional work in post conflict Northern Uganda where she witnessed high cases of land disputes, some related to foreign investment projects. Ketty hopes that her thesis will contribute to shaping policy in Uganda.

Current Research

Ketty’s research is supervised by Dr. Catherine Turner and Professor Tom Allen. Her thesis examines the well-established parameters of legal protection of foreign investors and explores its interface with land tenure security in Uganda. At the heart of the thesis, Ketty studies whether legal protection of foreign investors is a disincentive to the government to protect and or strengthen land rights of the local communities. The thesis presents two case studies of foreign investment projects to highlight these dynamics. Ketty’s thesis will contribute to the broader debate of law and power: whether law serves the interest of some powerful people than others or disempowers the weaker group or is rather irrelevant.

• International Human Rights Law
• International Humanitarian Law
• International Investment Law
• Land Law
• Transitional Justice