Law students who graduated from Makerere University will be required to produce certified academic papers before enrolling for this year's bar examinations in Kenya.
The Council of Legal Education (CLE) Thursday released a notice to the law students after reports that the degree scam is being investigated by Uganda's oldest and biggest university.
Makerere is investigating degrees awarded since 2011 and this is likely to affect many Kenyans who studied at the university.
Dr Damalie Naggitta-Musoke, the former dean of the School of Law at Makerere, is leading a team that is auditing results.
Ugandan sources said up to 88 lecturers, administrators from the senate, and students named in the marks scam are being investigated.
It emerged that the staff changed students' marks at an average Kenyan fee of Sh8,000 and Sh40,000 million per unit depending on the course and status of the student.
Back home, the ripple effect of the audit has started to bite, with law students being the first casualties.
"All law graduates of Makerere University (Uganda) seeking to register for the November 2017 bar exams must furnish the Council of Legal Education with copies of degree certificates and transcripts certified/verified by the university as genuine," reads the notice dated September 13 and signed by the CLE chief executive officer, Prof Kulundu Bitonye.
He said Makerere graduates – whether they made applications or not – must have certified papers.
"Candidates who fail to do so will be considered ineligible to take the bar examinations," said Bitonye.
He said the certified or verified copies must reach the council by close of business on September 29.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) yesterday supported the verification of the certificates.
"If one acquired a proper degree they should not be worried about certification of their results to confirm authenticity," said the LSK vice president, Faith Waigwa.
The application form for bar examinations from the CLE website show students must attach certified copies of a law degree certificate, transcripts, and the letter of admission to the Kenya School of Law. They must also produce other certificates, including 'O' level, KCSE, and any other relevant diplomas and certificates.
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