Teaching cybercrime in the post graduate Bar course in Uganda

This paper supports the teaching of cybercrime in the Law Development Centre’s post graduate Bar course, because cybercrime is a nascent area with international dimensions of which empirical evidence exists. Furthermore, on February 14, 2011, Uganda enacted its first cybercrime legislation- the Computer Misuse Act 2011. The paper aims to stimulate debate on the effectiveness of the Act in dealing with terrorist acts that are perpetuated by use of computers. An e-mail allegedly linked to the July 11 2010 deadly bombings in Kampala, provides a lens through which two aspects of the Computer Misuse Act are examined namely: the narrow definition of computer misuse; and the inadequate provisions on proportionality and human rights, and judicial oversight in the procedural framework. Such an e-mail is a learning material well suited for the problem-based learning methods applied during the Bar Course. By way of concluding reflection, the author highlights research and training, as a means by which legal solutions to the lacunae in the legislation may be found.