NYANZA–The Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD) has introduced a post- graduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting (DLD).The first intake of 28 students has already been admitted and will undergo an intensive six-month course. The students were drawn from different ministries, government institutions and the bar association, according to officials.The course, described as a rigorous study of the principles of legislative drafting, is the first of its kind in the country.Speaking at the launch on Monday, the Minister of Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, observed that the course was long-awaited as the country lacked enough qualified lawyers to appropriately handle the task of drafting good legislations.“Sometimes, we have had to rely on consultants from abroad who do not properly understand the Rwandan context,” Karugarama told The New Times. The minister noted that there would now be an improvement from the source, saying government institutions were the major origin of laws.“There will be fewer headaches in reviewing correct laws as they will be well written from the origin”, he said.He also observed that the country will now save on the money it used in sending students abroad for similar courses.“We have been sending one or two students abroad for such courses, and that used to cost a lot of money. But now we will be using the same amount to train a lot of individuals, thus improving on the quality of their work”, Karugarama observed.He requested ILDP management to concentrate on developing practical skills of the students in order to bolster their “ability to draft clear, simple, coherent, precise and comprehensible laws”. He told students that after completing the course, they are expected to produce well-written documents which combine the existing legal systems with the Rwandan traditional legal practices so as to make them really apply to the Rwandan context.Speaking during the event, the ILPD’s Rector, Prof. Nick Johnson, pledged to make the course a success to attract students from the region and across the world.“We intend that in the future, the graduates will pass on their knowledge, skills and experience to others in the Rwandan process and the course, while retaining its international outlook, will develop an indigenous culture of best practice”, he said.Initiated in 2008, ILPD is a public institute established to provide practical legal education to serving professionals.
