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Makerere law degrees recall to affect hundreds of Kenyans

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CUE chairman Prof Chacha Nyaigoti Chacha. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The legal profession in Kenya could be thrown into a crisis after Makerere University announced it will recall degrees obtained a decade ago on the basis of forged or altered results.

Several of its graduates in the country work as advocates, magistrates, and others are in the public and private companies.

If Makerere makes good its threat it means that hundreds of students who graduated as from 2007 will be affected.

Uganda students have used the courts to get admission to the law school whenever they are denied an opportunity.

The Makerere University investigation was led by former dean of the School of Law Damalie Naggitta-Musoke and its preliminary report revealed a mismatch between results submitted by colleges and schools and final scores released by the Office of the Academic Registrar.

“We decided to investigate the results for the past five years,” the incoming Vice Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe told Business Daily’s sister publication the Daily Monitor.

“It will have ripple effects. It means that Kenya School of Law will have to recall diplomas awarded the students and Law Society of Kenya (LSK) will also have to expunge the victims from the role of advocates,” said a lawyer working for the LSK on condition of anonymity.

Cases handled by the affected lawyers could also start a fresh.

READ: CUE issues audit notice to three private universities

The Commission for University Education (CUE) chairman Chacha Nyaigoti Chacha (above) Wednesday admitted the recall would greatly affect Kenyans students.

“A good number of Kenyan students undertook their undergraduate studies in Uganda and the recall will be massive,” said Prof Chacha.

Early this year, Council of Legal Education stopped admission of law students from East Africa, especially Uganda to the Kenya School of Law. But High Court quashed the decision.