JUSTIFICATIONS FOR ENACTMENT OF THE LEGAL AID LAW

1. The existing state provided legal aid services are limited in scope. Enacting the law will expand the scope and reach of legal aid services and thus facilitate access to justice since legal aid is a key proponent of access to justice. 2. The poor and marginalized face impediments in accessing legal services, especially those in rural areas who are far from their reach. With the proposed Law in place, systems will be established to ensure that legal ais services are easily and widely available to the public. 3. About 80% of the people in Uganda cannot afford private legal services per the HiiL Research of 2016. Having a public legal aid system will mean that a substantial proportion of the citizens to access protection under the law, including the poor. 4. Furthermore, the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution will be upheld to ensure that all individuals are subject to and treated equally according to the law. 5. The law will potentially create employment opportunities for law school and university graduates for example in Legal Aid Clinics, Justice Centers, Paralegal Advisory Services and Legal Aid Service Providers, among others. In turn, Government will receive taxes to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country. Google the National Legal Aid Policy for more information. There is a long chain of benefits related to the enactment of the Legal Aid Law. With all the above and many more benefits, the Legal Aid Law should surely be enacted! Join our social media campaign on Twitter to advocate for the enactment of the Legal Aid Law through the hash tags #PasstheLegalAidlaw and #AccesstoJustice Also, kindly share this link with your friends so they can participate in our discussions. https://bit.ly/3jIwWLn Thank you.