A newly appointed magistrate in Uganda, Musa Semwogerere, was arrested for allegedly impersonating a woman to take law exams on behalf of his girlfriend, Irene Mutonyi.
The incident occurred during the final written examinations at the Law Development Centre (LDC) campuses in Kampala, Lira, and Mbarara on Friday, July 28, 2023. Semwogerere, also known as Mukisa Anthony, disguised himself as a woman with braided hair to deceive examiners.
The LDC director, Frank Nigel Othembi, confirmed the offense committed by Semwogerere, charging him with two counts of forgery for violating Section 351 of the Penal Code Act (uttering a false document) and Section 381 of the Penal Code Act (impersonation).
Following the incident, the matter was reported to the police, leading to Semwogerere's arrest. He was remanded to prison until August 3, 2023. The Judiciary confirmed that his appointment as a judicial officer, made on June 12, 2023, would be revoked due to the grave misconduct.
"LDC does not condone any act of examination malpractice. We will continue with our zero-tolerance policy towards any such conduct," stated Her Worship Sarah Langa Siu, the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary.
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