Govt Bars LDC Students Who Fail Three Papers from Supplementary Exams

Government has reaffirmed that LDC students who fail three or more Bar Course subjects cannot sit supplementary examinations, insisting the law mandates a full course retake despite petitions from affected candidates seeking special consideration.

The government has clarified that students who fail three or more subjects in the recently released Law Development Centre (LDC) Bar Course examinations are not eligible to sit supplementary exams.

The decision, in line with the Rules Governing the Bar Course, 2023, was announced by Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka on Thursday.

It affects students from the Academic Year 2024/2025 who had petitioned to take supplementary examinations alongside those already scheduled.

In a letter dated March 31, 2026, AG Kiryowa responded to concerns raised in a prior communication to his office from students on March 26, 2026, who sought his engagement following the Academic Registrar’s announcement on March 21, 2026, detailing the timetable for supplementary examinations.

Students had requested permission to sit supplementary exams alongside those already scheduled, pending the outcome of a petition to the LDC Management Committee.

After careful consideration, AG Kiryowa referenced the Rules Governing the Bar Course, 2023, particularly Rule 17(2), which provides that students who fail a subject or clerkship—including not more than two of the following areas: Civil Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Law Practice, Criminal Proceedings, Family Law Practice, and Land Transactions—may, at the discretion of the Board of Examiners, sit a supplementary examination.

However, Rules 21(5) and 21(6) impose restrictions on students who fail three or more of these subjects.

Such students are deemed to have failed the Bar Course and are not eligible for supplementary examinations, but may repeat the entire course in accordance with the Rules.

“While I appreciate the concerns raised by affected students, deviating from these provisions would undermine the regulatory framework designed to ensure fair, transparent, and effective administration of the Bar Course,” he wrote.

AG Kiryowa’s guidance clarifies that requests to sit supplementary examinations beyond the scope permitted by the Rules cannot be granted.

According to him, the communication serves to uphold the integrity of the Bar Course, while ensuring students are fully aware of the options available for those required to repeat the course.