Law students from various Ugandan universities have filed a lawsuit against the Uganda Law Reform Commission and the Attorney General, seeking free and unrestricted access to the newly launched revised 7th edition of the Principle Laws of Uganda.
The students, including visually impaired individuals who require the laws in Braille format, argue that the current pricing structure for the soft and hard copy versions of the laws is exorbitant and discriminates against those with limited financial resources.
The petitioners, from Makerere University, Islamic University, Uganda Christian University, and Law Development Centre, have filed their petition before the High Court’s Civil Division to seek judicial review of the matter.
“According to the instrument that was issued by the Attorney General, the laws came into force by 1st of July 2024 but since then, these laws have only been available for sale to the public,” Kuku Amos, a human rights lawyer who filed the petition told KFM.
The revised 7th edition of the Principle Laws was launched on June 27, 2024. While the soft copy version is available online for a fee of Shs5,000, the hard copy version costs a hefty Shs2.5 million. Human rights lawyers have criticized these prices as excessive, claiming they hinder access to justice for many.
