The law development centre (LDC) management committee has approved the graduation of at least 677 lawyers that were enrolled during the 2015/16 and 2014/15 academic years.
In a meeting held on April 5, the committee confirmed that the various lawyers had passed and qualified for the award of a diploma. Of the 677 lawyers, about 50 per cent are female.
Some 215 lawyers will receive a diploma in legal practice, 424 (diploma in law) and 38 will get diplomas in human rights. This will take place at the institution’s 44th graduation ceremony slated for April 21 at the LDC premises in Makerere. The attorney general, William Byaruhanga, has confirmed to be chief guest at the function.
Speaking to The Observer on April 6, Everest Turyahikayo, the LDC academic registrar, said the institution has registered a good overall performance, the best in the last five years. “The overall pass rate at the bar course is 52.4 per cent while for the diploma in law and human rights course is over 97 per cent,” Turyahikayo said.
He attributed the performance to infrastructural reforms at LDC that came with ICT equipment to enhance teaching in firm rooms and moot courts that help students reflect on exactly what happens in courtrooms.
BEST STUDENTS
At the ceremony, students who excelled from the three courses will be awarded by various law firms, LDC, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Human Rights Commission, the principal judge and the minister for public service.
On the 2015/16 postgraduate bar course, Turyahikayo said three students will be awarded. Charlotte Katuutu, the overall best student on the course with a 70.95 overall average will receive the chief justice’s prize that comes with a set of relevant law books and a full set of the lawyer’s professional attire, among others.
She will be followed by Jemminah Mushabe (70.6 average)who will get the attorney general’s prize and Augustine Akineza, who came third with an average of 70.4 will receive the principal judge’s prize.
For diploma in law, the best students are Naboth Agaba (84.7), Andrew Gabengere (83.8) and Melach Kagumaho (81.6) while diploma in human rights best students are Faridah Semyano (81.0), Thomas Benson Oweka (80.0) and Yafes Okuwan (77.6).
Meanwhile, some 152 bar course students will not graduate after they failed special and supplementary exams.
“I have already communicated to these students and should come and pick the repeating guidelines. They are supposed to apply before July 31, this year to study in the 2017/18 academic year which commences in September this year,” Turyahikayo said.
Full list in today’s edition of The Observer on page 22