Professor Emmanuel B. Kasimbazi is a Full Professor of Law at Makerere University, Uganda, an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda, and one of Africa’s leading scholars in environmental law and governance. With over three decades of distinguished experience in teaching, research, consultancy, and policy engagement, he has established an international reputation in the fields of environmental law, natural resources law, climate change law, disaster law, criminal law, criminology, and sustainable development.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the University of Calgary, Canada; a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) (Hons) from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre, Uganda. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Maryland, School of Law, Baltimore, United States of America, and a British Academy Research Fellow at the Walker Institute, University of Reading, United Kingdom.
At Makerere University, Professor Kasimbazi teaches Environmental Law and Policy, International Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Criminal Law, and related subjects at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His scholarship is characterized by an interdisciplinary, comparative, and rights-based approach that explores the interconnections between environmental sustainability, human rights, social justice, governance, and sustainable development.
Professor Kasimbazi’s research has made significant contributions to the development of legal and policy frameworks on climate change, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction, environmental governance, wildlife and forestry crime, wetlands protection, water resources governance, and sustainable development. His work has influenced national, regional, and international policy discourse and has contributed substantially to the advancement of environmental law and governance across Africa.
A prolific scholar, Professor Kasimbazi has authored and edited several books, contributed more than thirty book chapters, published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, and produced a wide range of policy reports, technical studies, and commissioned research papers. His publications have appeared with leading international academic publishers, including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Springer, Kluwer Law International, and Edward Elgar Publishing. His research has been commissioned, cited, and utilized by major international organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the African Union (AU), and other regional and global institutions.
Beyond academia, Professor Kasimbazi has extensive experience as a legal and policy consultant, advising international organizations, development partners, regional bodies, and national governments. His consultancy portfolio includes assignments for the World Bank, African Development Bank, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Nile Basin Initiative, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), East African Community (EAC), and numerous African governments. He has also undertaken consultancy assignments for bilateral development agencies, including the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). Through these engagements, he has contributed to more than forty major legal, regulatory, and policy reform initiatives relating to environmental governance, climate change, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation management, wildlife protection, and natural resource governance.
Professor Kasimbazi is internationally recognized for his leadership in environmental law and policy. He previously served as Chair of the Biodiversity Law Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) and continues to serve as a member of both the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law and the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. He is also a Steering Committee Member of the International Disaster and Emergency Law Network (IDEAL), an Environmental Law Expert to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), and President of the East African Association for Impact Assessment (EAAIA).
His contributions extend to judicial training, institutional development, legislative reform, and public policy formulation. He has played a key role in the development and review of legal and regulatory frameworks on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, environmental governance, and sustainable development across Africa. In addition, he has trained judges, lawyers, policymakers, environmental practitioners, and academics throughout the continent and has contributed to governance assessments and environmental reviews under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
Professor Kasimbazi’s scholarly achievements have earned him national, continental, and international recognition. He is a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), where he serves on the Ethics Committee. These prestigious fellowships represent some of the highest honours accorded to scholars and scientists and reflect his outstanding contributions to legal scholarship, public policy, environmental governance, and sustainable development.
Contact Information
Professor Emmanuel B. Kasimbazi
School of Law, Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
E-mail: emmanuel.kasimbazi@law.mak.ac.ug | ekasimbazi@yahoo.com
