Uganda Law Council decries surge in ‘inept’ law graduates

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Margaret Nabakooza, the secretary of the Uganda Law Council, has expressed concern over the surging number of law graduates, arguing that the mass production of lawyers has flooded the market with numerous inept “learned friends”.

She made the remarks on April 8, 2025, while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, chaired by Stephen Bakka Mugabi (Bukhooli North, NRM). Also in attendance was the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Norbert Mao.

Norbert Mao, the justice and constitutional affairs minister appearing before the legal and parliamentary affairs committee of parliament on April 8, 2025.

“At the moment, we have seventeen universities teaching law and there are another four in the pipeline. They all churn out law graduates every year. As you may be aware, there are 3,000 students at LDC now. That’s one of the issues the regulator has identified, and proposals are being developed. A Cabinet memo is in the process, and the Attorney General will be presenting it in due course,” Nabakooza disclosed.

She further stated that the increasing number of law students has created a backlog in enrolment processing, with the Law Council struggling to manage the volume of applications.

Anne Adeke Ebaju (Soroti Woman MP, FDC) during the legal and parliamentary affairs committee of parliament on April 8, 2025.

Nabakooza noted that last year alone, the Law Development Centre (LDC) held two graduation ceremonies—one in April and another in December—with 1,500 students graduating at each.

Because of the overwhelming numbers, she explained, applications to LDC can take between five and twelve months to process.

“It is also affected by other factors. The 10-member Law Council, which makes these decisions, comprises individuals who are all permanently employed elsewhere. They sit once a month. One of them is also here—a representative of the Solicitor General. It is headed by a Court of Appeal judge, and includes the Director of LDC, the President of the Law Society, a member representing the Uganda Judicial Officers Association (UJOA), and members from the Uganda Law Society. There's also the Principal of the School of Law, among others,” she explained.

Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee chairperson Stephen Bakka Mugabi (Bukhooli North, NRM), April 8, 2025.

“They’re the ones who look at all these applications—once a month—the 3,000 that come in at a go. The Law Council has also set certain standards for these applications, and they have observed that the quality of applications is very poor. This is due to the quality of lawyers being produced, particularly in drafting skills. Some people can’t even spell their names consistently. They can’t get their graduation dates right after three or more attempts. There’s no way Law Council members can review such applications and approve them,” she added.

Nobert Mao minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Permanent Secretary Robert Kasande appear before the legal and parliamentary committee of parliament on April 8,2025.

Her comments were in response to concerns raised earlier by Soroti Woman MP Anne Adeke Ebaju (FDC).

“I want to know how you, as the regulator, are managing the influx of young law graduates joining LDC. Every passing year, the number increases. Next academic year, there could be four to five thousand, given all the law schools you have approved to teach law. Now, LDC remains a single entity training bar course students for the Diploma in Legal Practice. Is the quality of advocates still a concern for you as a regulator? And are you aware of how overwhelmed LDC is at present, despite efforts to decentralise and increase intakes, vis-à-vis the numbers?” Adeke queried.