Judiciary Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana has called on newly trained legal professionals to take an active role in addressing Uganda’s persistent justice gaps, saying access to the law remains out of reach for many vulnerable citizens.
Mr. Bigirimana made the call while presiding over the 53rd graduation ceremony of the Law Development Centre (LDC), where 590 students were awarded qualifications in various legal disciplines.
Speaking under the theme “Empowered to Build a Justice-Centered Uganda,” Bigirimana said the country continues to grapple with cases of illegal land evictions, single mothers failing to secure child support, and widows and orphans being dispossessed by land grabbers—challenges he said demand ethical and people-centred legal practice.
“Legal training must translate into real protection for citizens who cannot navigate the justice system on their own,” he said.
The graduates included 165 Certificate holders in Administrative Law, two Diploma graduates in Human Rights, and 423 Diploma holders in Law.
Justice Christopher Izama Madrama, the Chairperson of the LDC Board and a Justice of the Supreme Court, described the graduates as a critical pillar of the Judiciary, noting that courts rely heavily on competent and ethical legal practitioners to function effectively.
“The administration of justice depends not only on judges but on the professionalism and integrity of those who appear before the courts,” Justice Madrama said.
LDC Director Dr Pamela Tibihikirra Kalyegira reminded the graduates that the law should serve society rather than dominate it, urging them to apply their training with humility, integrity and a strong sense of public duty.
She warned that legal knowledge divorced from ethics poses a danger to society and encouraged the graduates to use the law as a tool for fairness, inclusion and social transformation.
“Stand for justice even when it is inconvenient. Speak for those who have no voice, and ensure the law uplifts rather than oppresses,” Dr Kalyegira said.
