It all started with in undulating hills of Rukungiri, to the long winding roads in Kisoro, then the steep climb in Kabale, the bumpy ride in Buhweju, the plains in Bushenyi, with the climax being Mbarara – the land of milk, the head of the Judiciary traversed them all.
This was the roadmap of the Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny – Dollo, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Judiciary, Dr Pius Bigirimana, on his quest to meet key stakeholders in the administration of justice in South Western Uganda.
The Chief Justice’s message was communities crave for a just society where wrong is dealt with swiftly through a system that resolves disputes and comes up with various measures.
Adding that judicial services belong to the people and that leaders at all levels should be interested in the judicial system.
He thanked the President for his commitment to enhance Judiciary’s budget to Shs800 billion and pledged to put the funds to good use. “We shall utilize these funds in the best way possible. We will continue recruiting the way we’ve done and expand the base of High Court Judges to 150. In the forthcoming swearing-in of the new Judges, six new high courts will automatically be operationalized. Mbarara will also have a Court of Appeal, all these are measures to give access to justice to our people,” he said.
He also condemned the public for frantic attempts to speed up court services that steer them into enticing judicial officers to corruption trends.
Impact of visit
The Mbarara Resident Judge, Joyce Kavuma, applauded the Chief Justice for his initiative to reach out to stakeholders. She also applauded the leaders of Mbarara for allotting land in Kamukuzi and Kakiika for the construction of courts.
The Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Judiciary, Dr Bigiriman, noted that the Judiciary in the past two registered an elevation and consistency in the delivery of Justice. He also promised to include Mbarara as one of the courts to be considered in the programme for renovation and provision for vehicles to all the Chief magistrates in the Circuit.
This was welcomed by the Judicial Officers and applauded by the stakeholders who had turned up for the meeting with the Chief Justice.
The meeting called for justice stakeholders to be aware of the Court Open Days, court interfaces, and the Bar-Bench meetings as avenues to foster court user interactions.
The Mbarara Ag. Deputy Registrar, Nanteza Zulaika, urged all Staff of the Judiciary to improve customer care to the public by serving with purpose and passion. “…Hosting you is a memorable event for us. You spoke to us of your vision for the Judiciary and with this team be sure of results in the transformation of delivery of justice. I pledge to a team that will improve service delivery in the area,” she said.
The local leaders appreciated the CJ for the steady progress in the Judiciary as well as judicial officers for being involved in community patrolling to help fight crime. The RDCs as heads of security in the districts emphasized the need to work jointly with the judicial system.
Issues raised
The meeting listed issues like the need to audit prison inmates for cases that have never been produced in courts, need for renovation of Mbarara court building, the need for furniture, archives, vehicles for hard-to-reach areas, and limited staffing, delayed cases due to the pandemic and congestion in prisons. They also called for regular plea bargaining sessions, need for magistrates grade I in Ibanda and Isingiro, need for sensitization on courts its processes, need for another remand home within the region, the insufficient number of state attorneys compared to Judicial Officers, more legal aid service providers, need to eliminate bush lawyers who tarnish the image of the Judiciary as well as the need to strengthen Investigation of cases.
This visit was the first of its kind to be made by the Chief Justice and he has promised to make such engagements regular in different parts of the country.
