By Ezrah Kashumbusha.
The Law Development Centre (LDC) has urged the Law Council to delve into suspicions surrounding the issuance of first-class degrees by certain universities in Uganda. Annet Karungi, the Head of the Bar Course, disclosed this during a session with the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, where officials were discussing the 2024/25 national budget framework paper.
Expressing the need for a thorough investigation, Karungi stated, “I think we have observed that the pattern in the last academic years is really not necessarily the best, and many of them (students) actually end up clogging the system, repeating various subjects. So it is something we have shared with Law Council, and we are hopeful, as a regulator, they will take it up and address it at the time of regulation and accreditation of the law schools.”
Karungi refuted claims that the LDC had rejected students, clarifying that every student who paid for the current academic year was admitted. She highlighted that during the recent intake, LDC received over 3000 applications, but due to limited facilities, not all could be accommodated.
“In the process of admission, we realized something is coming up, but I believe Law Council will handle it. You find that applicants from certain universities, almost the entire class has first-class or upper second-class degrees, so we have to devise a fair method of admission, and we decided to take on 60% from each university,” Karungi explained.
She further detailed the selection process, mentioning that the top 60% from each university were admitted, while the remaining students were given offer letters for the next academic year, ensuring a fair and transparent approach.
