Welcome to the official website of Sauda Nabukenya, a passionate legal historian and archivist,  deeply committed  to preserving and organizing neglected and endangered local archives, as well as uncovering the hidden histories of ordinary people  within the legal realm. Sauda is eager to unveil her findings and share  her knowledge and expertise to a global audience.

Dr. Sauda Nabukenya is Assistant Professor of Modern African History in the Department of History, Cultures, and Ideas at Utah State University. She completed her PhD at the University of Michigan as a Mellon/ACLS Fellow. Trained as a historian of Modern Africa, her research focuses on law, property, gender, and class in colonial Africa and across the British Empire. Her PhD dissertation, titled "In Pursuit of Justice, Right, and Peace: Ordinary Litigants and the Making of Uganda’s Legal Culture, ca. 1900–1970," explored how ordinary individuals shaped legal norms and practices in Uganda. This groundbreaking research draws extensively from local legal archives she discovered in Uganda. These materials provide a fresh perspective on legal history, highlighting the voices and experiences of ordinary individuals whose agency has long been obscured in official records. Sauda also holds a master’s in history from Makerere University in Uganda, where she wrote a thesis on the politics of the Constitution-making processes in Uganda from 1959-1995. 

Throughout her academic journey, Sauda has immersed herself in archives, conducting extensive research that has unearthed invaluable insights into the evolution of law and legal systems in Uganda. She has gained recognition for her groundbreaking initiatives and efforts in uncovering  and preserving archival records of historical significance, even when they were officially deemed not important and unworthy of preservation. Sauda is the driving force behind the discovery and preservation of two remarkable archives: the High Court of Uganda and Mengo Archives. These judicial archives, which have survived thanks to bureaucratic neglect, contain an unparalleled collection of court records, totaling over 150,000 court cases. Remarkably, no other archive of this scale or magnitude is available for research anywhere in Africa.

Nabukenya played a pivotal role in overseeing the archival projects that meticulously preserved, organized, cataloged and transferred these endangered archives to the National archive of Uganda. Driven by her profound passion for history and preservation of historical records, her tireless efforts have not only made these archives accessible for research, education, and historical preservation but have also contributed significantly to the broader endeavor of preserving endangered records across Uganda.

Sauda's mission is to preserve the rich tapestry of legal history and make it accessible to all. She firmly believes that  legal archives and legal history are indispensable for preserving legal heritage, evolution of laws, the practice of justice, and the understanding of how law intersects with society and culture. These legal archives serve as invaluable resources for a wide spectrum of individuals, including legal professionals, researchers, educators, policymakers, and the broader society.

See her most recent CV.