“Ssenyonyi Demands Action as Over 800 LDC Bar Course Graduates Remain Locked Out of Practice”

[Eronda]

Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi has sounded the alarm over Uganda’s growing legal training crisis, highlighting that more than 800 graduates of the Law Development Centre’s (LDC) Bar Course remain stuck in an enrolment backlog, unable to join the Roll of Advocates despite completing their studies.

Issue.
• Annual Output vs Enrolment Capacity: LDC produces 1,300–1,600 graduates every year, but only 400–600 are enrolled as advocates.
• Backlog: This leaves over 800 qualified lawyers stranded annually, unable to practice despite completing the mandatory one-year postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
• Cause: The surge in intake followed the scrapping of pre-entry exams, which increased admissions but strained the Uganda Law Council’s ability to process pupillage completion and enrolment.

Hon Joel Ssenyonyi’s Concerns
• Access to Justice: Qualified lawyers are being blocked from practicing, limiting citizens’ access to legal services.
• Administrative Bottlenecks: He called on government to explain the enrolment gap and streamline the process.
• Accountability: The delays, he argued, undermine confidence in Uganda’s legal system and frustrate young professionals who have already invested years in training.

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