KAMPALA – A team of Ugandan lawyers has petitioned the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga seeking parliament intervention into failure by Uganda Law Council to issue them with legal practicing certificate of eligibility because they did their legal practice in Rwanda.
According to lead petitioner, Wahab Kasimu, about 200 Ugandans are suffering consequences of having their Diploma in legal practice (an equivalent of a diploma at Uganda’s Law development Center) from Rwanda and are now denied opportunity to practice their profession from Uganda.
While handing in their petition to the Speaker, Kassim said that although the team studied their first degree in law from Ugandan universities and later pursued a Diploma in Legal Practice in Rwanda, the Uganda Law Council has refused to recognize their legal studies in Rwanda, arguing that Rwanda doesn’t practice Common law like the case is for Uganda and other countries that are under Britain protectorates law.
The team argued that Rwanda, just like Uganda are members of the East Africa common Protocol which gives them the leeway to acquire qualifications from any country of their choice in East Africa basing on the laws available but this provision has been abused by member states.
Speaker Kadaga questioned why Rwanda law students are still denied the legal practicing certificates despite Rwanda joining the common law and promised to introduce the complaint before Parliament and have it investigated by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee before Parliament takes final decision on the matter.
