By Irene Best Nyapendi and Blessing Twiine

The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Africa Policy Centre (APC) hosted a public lecture on biblical justice, human rights and advocacy at Nkoyoyo Hall, Main Campus, Mukono, on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mike Chibita, the guest speaker, challenged Christians to look beyond the letter of the law and pursue justice that reflects the heart of God. Drawing on Scripture and decades of service in Uganda’s justice system, he urged attendees to speak for those whose voices are often ignored.

“Law is not justice, and justice is not law,” he said, describing it as one of the more difficult statements a judge must make.

Opening the lecture, UCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Finance and Administration, Mr David Mugawe, asked what happens when Christians withdraw from public debate and leave others to shape society’s conversations. “Are they filling it with the truth?” he asked.

That question, he said, is why UCU established the APC: to offer a Christian voice in the public square. He urged students, especially those pursuing master’s studies, to be a source of hope in society and in Christ, and not to run from difficult responsibilities as Jonah fled God’s call to Nineveh.

Pointing to UCU’s own struggle to protect its one-square-mile campus from individuals claiming titles to the land, he asked, “Where does justice come from?” He conveyed apologies from Vice-Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, who was attending the Vice-Chancellors’ Forum.

Justice Chibita explained that law provides a set of rules, while justice concerns how those rules are applied to the facts of a case. Recalling his time as Director of Public Prosecutions, he said, “More than 50% of the time, the answer was: I want justice.”

Citing the wisdom of King Solomon, he noted that judges must weigh competing accounts to establish the truth. When a witness and an accused person swear on the same Bible to opposite stories, “both people cannot be speaking the truth,” he said, warning that a court oath “is not to be taken lightly.”

With humour, he suggested that “mob justice” would be more accurately called mob injustice. Justice, he stressed, must rest on truth and fairness, not personal feelings or revenge.

Justice Chibita traced the foundation of human rights to Genesis 1:26–27, which teaches that every person is created in the image of God. This truth, imago Dei, gives every human being intrinsic worth, regardless of status or background.

He was candid about the tension faith can bring to public service. As a State Attorney, he represented the Government in a case brought by about 400 death-row prisoners challenging capital punishment. The Odoki Commission had found that 75 per cent of Ugandans consulted supported retaining the death penalty. “I was a servant of the people of Uganda,” he said.

He also challenged Christians to stand with minorities whose identities are questioned, sharing the story of a Nubian participant told to “go back to Sudan” despite never having been there. Citizenship, he said, is determined by the Constitution, not appearance or language.

Referring to Revelation 5:9–10, which pictures people redeemed from every tribe, language and nation, he urged believers to “have the end in mind.” “We’ll not be there because we deserved it,” he said, “but because God sent his Son to shed his blood.”

During the question-and-answer session, a fourth-year Bachelor of Laws student mentored by Justice Chibita through the Show Up Mentorship Program was among the first to engage him. He reminded aspiring lawyers that their calling is not simply to win cases: “A lawyer’s job is not to defend, but to represent.”

It was a fitting word for a university committed to A Complete Education for A Complete Person: forming graduates whose competence is matched by character, and whose pursuit of justice is shaped by truth, compassion and faith in Christ.