LDC get new director as Wante retires
Mr Frank Nigel Othembi
The Law Development Centre management committee has appointed Uganda Law Reform Commission Executive Secretary Mr Frank Nigel Othembi as the new centre’s director.
Mr Othembi, who served as Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate in early 2002 before joining the Judicial Service Commission as Registrar Education and Public Affairs replaces Mr Elijah Wante, 60 who retired last Saturday.
To take up the top position, Mr Othembi beat Ms Florence Nakachwa Dollo, the current deputy director.
Justice Christine Kitumba, the LDC management committee chairperson announced the changes over the weekend at Hotel Africana during a farewell party for Mr Wante.
She described Mr Wante as a man of integrity, hardworking, selfless and patriotic and asked his successor to emulate him.
“He (Wante) ushered in the new changes at LDC and has worked tirelessly to ensure that the restructuring exercise is a success. We indeed have mixed feelings as we say bye- bye to Mr Wante,” Justice Kitumbi said
Mr Wante joined LDC as an assistant lecturer on April 1, 1974 immediately after completing his Bar Course at the same institution. He rose through the ranks and ultimately became LDC director in 2000.
Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki, who once served as LDC director advised Mr Othembi to protect LDC on all fronts, saying the future of legal training in the country lies in LDC’s existence.
“When I was still director there was an attempt to reclaim it (LDC premises) by trade unions but I got a land title and kept it .I told them (trade unionists) to meet us in court. If I had done nothing, the centre couldn’t be there today,” said Justice Odoki who presided as chief guest at the party.
LDC publicist Hamis Lukyamuzi said yesterday Mr Othembi is expected to report on duty on May 1 and in the meantime ,Ms Florence Nakachwa ,the deputy director will act as director.
LDC is the only institution in the country which admits law graduates to obtain diplomas in legal practice .A lawyer cannot practice as an advocate in Uganda without the diploma.
The centre has over the years been under spotlight over falling academic standards, partly blamed on absenteeism of lecturers, congestion and poor quality of students admitted for the Bar Course. Majority of the lawyers admitted at the Centre fail to complete the course in the record 11 months after failing exams which they re-sit, something graduating after four years.
In 2010, LDC introduced a new policy that requires all lawyers joining LDC to do pre-entry exams, a measure meant to weed out sub-standard students.
However, following the introduction of pre-entry exams, students this time round managed to post better results with 105 out of 283 those who sat passing the 2010/11 bar course final exams. Last academic year, only 36 out of 528 students who sat the same exams passed.
Roles of director
-Serves as accounting officer of the centre
-Chief executive officer and provides overall administration and management of LDC
-Provides strategic leadership to LDC
-Implements LDC policies made by management committee
-Responsible of establishing and maintaining relationship between LDC and its key stakeholders
