KAMPALA -- The Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo, who also doubles as chairperson of the JLOS Leadership Committee, on Friday presided over his meeting with heads of JLOS institutions. 

They discussed the progress of preparations for the JLOS Joint 25th Annual Government of Uganda/Development Partners Annual Review scheduled for 26th November at Mestil Hotel in Kampala.

The meeting, the first for the Chief Justice since he assumed office in August 2020, was a joint engagement with members of the JLOS Steering Committee, which is responsible for policy formulation, coordination; fundraising, external accountability and quality assurance. The JLOS Steering Committee is chaired by the Solicitor General with the Chief Registrar serving as  Alternate Chair. 

Notably present at the meeting at the Mestil Hotel meeting was the Deputy Chief Justice, Richard Buteera the Solicitor General, Francis Atoke, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Jane Frances Abodo, the Chief Sarah Langa Siu and Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Judiciary, Mr Pius Bigirimana. 

Also present were the officers from the JLOS Secretariat headed by the Senior Technical Advisor, Rachel Odoi Musoke.

By Danielle Nalukenge / Published: 20 November 2020

KAMPALA - The High Court grounds in Kampala literally lit up as Judicial Officers, members of the legal fraternity and representatives of the central government gathered for the launching of the New Law Year on Friday (January 31, 2020).

It is at the New Law Year that the Judiciary accounts to the public for the authority and resources entrusted by the people in the Judiciary.

The Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart M Katureebe, presented the State of the Judiciary address where he revealed that the Judiciary had disposed of 181,137 cases. "...the Judiciary made tremendous strides that are worth hailing. Inspite of the limited human resource and other resources, the Judiciary has managed to dispose of a total number of 181,137 cases," he said.

He said the Judiciary has put in place systems, services and innovations intended to improve justice delivery, give quick returns and act more transparently. He went on to enumerate the successes of Plea Bargaining, Mediation and Small Claims Procedure.

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Published: January 31, 2020

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My Lord, the Deputy Chief Justice
My Lord, the Principal Judge
Honourable Ministers
Honourable Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal
Your Excellency, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Chairperson JLOS Development Partners Group
Your Excellencies, Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Kampala
The Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service
Heads of JLOS Institutions
The Solicitor General and Chairperson JLOS Steering Committee
Members of the JLOS Steering and Technical Committees
Heads of Government Agencies and Departments
Partners and stakeholders from Civil Society and the Private Sector
Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted to welcome you all to this 22nd Joint Annual JLOS Government of Uganda – Development Partners’ Review. This is one of the most important events on the JLOS Annual calendar, and an opportune moment to reflect and take stock of our achievements against our set undertakings.
This review, as has been the case with the previous ones, is held in the spirit of positive and purposive partnership where we strategize together toward the greater JLOS Sector goal of ‘Justice For All’.

This year’s Review is special and an epitome of a commitment and promise made to the people of Uganda in 2012 to ‘Deepen reforms for a pro people justice system’. Today, we shall deliberate on the JLOS annual performance for the financial year 2016/2017, and also take stock of the past five years of hard work under the JLOS SIP III that came to an end on 30th June 2017.

The theme for this Review is “A Pro-people Justice System: Profiling Vulnerability, Delivering on the Promise”. The Promise to serve the vulnerable people of Uganda, who need JLOS services and in many cases do not have the means to afford or reach our service stations.

I am pleased to note that for most of you who have been part of the JLOS Sector trajectory of growth, the path, though interposed by challenges and limitations, has seen the Sector register a net positive progression. As you may recall, our first JLOS SIP I (2001 to 2005) focused on Sector rebuilding and retooling, then SIP II 2006/7 to 2011/12 strategically dealt with stabilisation and infrastructure development – popularly known as the ‘Brick and Mortar’ phase. Our most recent and now concluded SIP III phase (2012 -2017) was focused on deepening reforms for a pro-people justice system.

Our achievements in enhancing access to justice which are evident in our ever improving position in global and national assessments and indices are a product of our collective efforts and a source of pride. These are a result of primarily Government policy and support, and in addition, the strong partnerships that the Sector enjoys with all of you gathered here, and many other constituencies.

Together we have attained many milestones, overcome critical challenges, and reached out to more people in need of JLOS services. It is for this collective cause that we converge and reflect on our achievements, strategize better to overcome our challenges and plan ahead. Our achievements thus far have been born out of collective commitment to aspire for better, dedicated hard work, and progressive improvement within the scope of our means.

At a global level Uganda’s competitiveness and ranking continues to improve under various indices. For instance, according to the World Economic Forum Report of 2016, our score in the Index of Judicial Independence improved from 3.41 in 2015/16 to 3.6 in 2016/17 as a result of improved innovations and reduced interference in the judicial processes, among other developments. According to the World Bank’s Doing Business Index, Uganda improved from 135th position in 2010 to 115th in 2017. Most of these details will be presented to us later on today.

I must emphasise that these rankings are a demonstration of our improvement but not the ultimate measure of success that we have set out to achieve. As a Sector and the country at large, we aspire to rank among the best globally in not only the realm of law and justice, but also other Sectors.

The Sector has reduced lead-times and steps required to access a complete service, therefore serving more people within a shorter time. We have reviewed and refined our service delivery processes in both civil and criminal justice systems. Our civil registries, such as the URSB and the DCIC have been re-organised and are progressively being automated. Most importantly, we recognise the central role that JLOS staff play in this development equation and the Sector continues to strengthening staff knowledge and technical capacity, professionalism, and integrity among all our staff. These developments and many others have had a ripple effect of increasing the Sector’s public confidence from a baseline average of 26% in 2012 to 48% in 2016.

To further demonstrate this, the annual average number of cases disposed-of grew by 64%, from 86,000 cases in 2011/2012, to 175,556 cases in 2016/2017. Specifically, the disposal of land cases reduced by more than half, from 36 months in 2010 to 15 months in 2016/17. The average time taken to process a forensic investigation reduced to 90 days from a baseline of 210 days in 2010. This has had a trickle-down effect in other areas such as reduction in length of stay on remand, reduction in case backlog levels, among others.

The average length of stay on remand for persons charged with capital offences reduced from 15 months to 10.4 months. The overall case backlog reduced from 35% in 2010/2011 to 24% in 2017, despite an increase in the overall cases filed across the justice system. On this note, the Sector plans to effectively implement the Case Backlog Reduction Strategy 2017 with a view to reducing case backlog to a single digit percentage within the next two years.
In geographical terms, the Sector has enhanced its service delivery coverage and reduced the distance people travel to access JLOS services from an average radius of 75km in 2012, to 15km in 2017.

With policing services now present in every sub-county in Uganda, coupled with Community Policing by the Uganda Police Force, the Sector has registered a reduction in the incidence of crime from 314 for every 100,000 persons in 2011, to 291 for every 100,000 in 2016 although some particular areas of crime are seeing a rise, such as sexual and gender based crimes. This reduction has been a result of hard work and dedication against a tide of a high population growth, a high rural-urban migration, and external pressures of sophisticated transnational economic and terrorism associated forms of crime.

I am proud to inform you that by the end of the SIP III period, 98% of construction projects had been completed. Some of these include the Justice Centres in Moroto, Kiruhura, Ibanda, Bulambuli and Koboko among others. The remaining 2% are those that commenced in the final year of the SIP III period and are on course to be completed. Some of the critical pending construction projects include the Kitalya Maximum Security Prison which is planned to relieve the current congestion at Luzira maximum prison. Currently, 40% of the work is complete.

The Sector’s institutional and functional presence is now in 82% of the districts and infrastructure has been provided by the Sector in 59.8% of the districts. However, our pursuit is to not only expand our functional physical presence, but also enhance the quality and purity of JLOS services provided to the public. The Sector is progressively automating some segments of its service delivery processes to improve efficiency and quality and minimise opportunity for abuse of discretion. As we shall learn from the presentations that will be made today, the URSB, NIRA, DCIC, ODPP, UPF and the Judiciary are progressively realising this undertaking.

However, these tales of success and achievements are but a part of the bigger picture of mixed fortunes. While we celebrate and consolidate our gains, the Sector continues to face some challenges in a number of critical areas; the current double-digit Case Backlog at 24% calls for spirited collective effort and commitment to overcome. We are mindful that while the Sector has achieved most of its projected construction plans, the pursuit of realising functional physical presence of all frontline institutions in all districts calls for more resources, prioritisation, and strategic planning. For instance, there is an urgent need for a multi-pronged approach to address the prison congestion that stood at 312% as at June 2017. As at the end of October 2017, the prison occupancy level was 328%. The prison occupancy is growing at an average rate of 9.8% while its holding capacity is growing at less than 2%. This is not a problem of the Uganda Prisons Service alone but a matter of concern for the entire Sector.

We take cognisance of the changing economic terrain and living conditions spurred on over time by internal and external economic pressures of development, resulting in increased cost of living. We are aware that some of our staff laid down their tools in protest as they demand for better remuneration. These actions are well intended and exercised within the law, however, they slow down the realisation of our collective targets, impinge on some human rights, and cause suffering to those that seek our services.

I am confident that the on-going holistic salary review and harmonisation processes initiated by the Government will go a long way in providing lasting solutions as opposed to piece meal treatment of some institutions. We are better off improving the working conditions of the public service as a whole than addressing one institution at a time. I therefore appeal to JLOS staff to be patient, pragmatic, and trust in the on-going salary review processes. For now, let us serve the people of Uganda.

I must note that incidences of perceived and actual corruption are still prevalent in some of the JLOS service stations, and this not only erodes the Sector’s image, but also increases the vulnerability of both the supply and demand sides of justice. I would like to use this opportunity, to call on all JLOS institutions to take concrete and decisive action against acts of corruption among institutional staff and users of JLOS services.

While many of the Sector problems and challenges require enhanced human and financial resources, some interventions such as the fight against corruption and impunity are in some cases budget neutral. I call upon the heads of JLOS institutions and departments, and agencies to take this matter more seriously and implement the JLOS Anti-Corruption Strategy, name, shame and punish the few that bring our work in disrepute, and enhance integrity within our rank and file.
Therefore, as we consolidate our achievements under the JLOS SIP III, it is my honour to invite all of you to continue in our partnership in implementation of the new Sector strategy – the JLOS Sector Development Plan IV. Later in the day, we hope to dedicate part of our time to unveil and deliberate on what is comprised in our new path of development that is to cover the period 2017 to 2020.

As I conclude, I thank the Government and the people of Uganda for supporting and having confidence in the JLOS Sector.

I especially thank the President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for delivering on the Constitutional promise of ensuring justice for the people of Uganda. The Government resource allocation to the JLOS Sector grew in absolute terms from UGX568 Billion in 2012/13 to UGX1.335 Trillion in 2016/17. This is a primary factor that accounts for the achievements of the Sector in terms of human resources, service delivery, and infrastructure development. However, we seek to achieve greater heights and enhance the welfare of the people of Uganda and improve the business environment and competitiveness of Uganda as an investment destination. With increased human and financial resources, and strategic planning, the Sector is set to further improve dispute resolution lead times, expand faster registration and development of small scale businesses that increase the national tax base, enhance movement of labour and trade across the East Africa Community, further reduce levels of crime, and promote the rule of law. We therefore pray that as the national budget grows, we see a commensurate growth in the Sector’s budgets as opposed to the current situation, where the Sector budget has increased in absolute terms but has reduced as a percentage of the national budget.

On such an important occasion, the Sector proudly extends its gratitude for the generosity and support of the JLOS Development Partners, with whom we work so intimately to deliver on the promise – the promise to deliver ‘Justice For All’. Over the SIP III period, the Sector received both Budget and Project support toward the JLOS Development budget in addition to direct project and technical capacitation support.

On this occasion, I would like to be more specific and re-sound our gratitude on behalf of the people of Uganda, and the Government of Uganda to the citizens and governments of Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, United States of America and the European Union. I extend our appreciation to the East Africa Community Governments that have collaborated with the Sector over the SIP III period, the United Nations agencies, particularly UNICEF, UN Women, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNDP, International NGOs, and also the Uganda Civil Society Organisations.

As a collective and through your missions, delegations, agencies, and direct participation, you have supported the course of justice and the rule of law in Uganda. We pledge to stay this course, continue to nurture strong partnerships, and remain accountable in our pursuit of justice for all.
I also thank the Political, Policy and Technical leadership of the 18 JLOS institutions for staying the course of justice, steering reforms, and maintaining the commitment to the JLOS family. While our aspirations remain demanding, today we take note and cognisance of the gains achieved. I appeal to you, to continue promoting the cause of the Sector such that we continue to convene and celebrate shared success and achievements.
I would like to applaud the work of the JLOS Secretariat. The critical coordination and technical backstopping role that you play, fuels our innovation, collaboration and as a result, the JLOS stands out like no other Sector in Uganda. I thank you!

Last, but by no means least, I use this opportunity to thank the men and women that serve under the 18 JLOS institutions in the different parts of this beautiful country. I have surely visited all parts of the country and many JLOS service stations and I know that most of you work hard under challenging circumstances and I know that it is your dedication that has assured much of the Sector’s success. It is for these reasons and more, that I personally thank you for the good job that you do, for serving the people of Uganda, and taking pride in a noble cause of promoting justice for all people, and for saying NO to corruption.
You must always remember that our cause is a collective enshrined in the 3 Cs – Cooperation, Coordination and Communication. Therefore, your needs are a shared concern, just as we come together to take pride in our success. I call upon your individual resolve to make the cause of justice a personal commitment and together let us continue to move a notch higher. I would like to assure you that I will do whatever is within my power to ensure better and more dignified working conditions, cultivate strategic partnerships that build our common interests, and above all, endear professionalism in our work.

Once again, I welcome you all to this historic event, where we join hands to close yet another chapter in our pursuit of justice for all, and at the same time pave the road ahead for a new episode.
It is now my honour and pleasure to declare the 22nd Annual Joint JLOS Government of Uganda – Development Partners Review open.

Bart M. Katureebe
CHIEF JUSTICE AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE JLOS LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE.

WASHINGTON, DC: The Chief Justice, Bart M. Katureebe, on Tuesday October 10 2017 visited the United State of America’s State Department where he held a high-level meeting with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Randy Berry.

Leading a delegation of Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) key players and the International Justice Mission officials, the CJ engaged the department on matters of human rights and independence of the courts, freedom of expression and support to civil society structures.

Mr Berry said his Department is keenly interested in issues of the rule of law, access to justice particularly elimination of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV).

He expressed gratitude towards the partnership between IJM and Uganda's JLOS and hoped it will go a long way in supporting Uganda Judiciary and JLOS’ initiatives in improving access to justice.

The CJ said that improving access to justice is a fundamental issue now facing the courts and the entire justice sector.

“The sector has put in place a number of innovations geared at improving access to justice for all persons in Uganda but more particularly the marginalised and vulnerable groups,” said Justice Katureebe. “These include Plea Bargaining, Sentencing Guidelines, Audio-Visual Link technology, computerisation of court processes, gender-based training, development and publication of gender and other bench books, among others.”

CJ further noted that Uganda has taken the approach of creating Justice Centres to ensure presence of the police, the prosecution, the courts, the prisons and probation service. This is to ensure that the whole chain is complete from investigation, prosecution, adjudication, correctional and psycho-social support.

He said the major issue is resourcing of the Sector to be able to have a presence and competent human resource throughout the country.

The State Department also expressed interest in traditional and local systems of dispute resolution which have the capacity of easing the burden on the formal courts.

The Department was informed about Uganda’s system of Local Council Courts, which are currently non-operational because of absence of elected Local Councils. The local council system is yet to be fully developed. The transitional justice system is also undergoing development in Uganda.

CJ noted that there is need identify the causes of human rights abuses to identify the causes, one of which being inadequate training on the part of JLOS actors.

The CJ highlighted the importance of the Judicial Training Institute in the Judiciary, adding that there was need to effectively resource it so it can build the capacity of the various JLOS actors through regular trainings.

In a related development, the Chief Justice and team also met with US House of Representatives Congressman Chris Smith, the Chair of the African Sub-Committee for Foreign Affairs together with other members of the Congress.

Congressman Smith said that issues of violence against women and children constitute one of the greatest challenges facing many countries in the World. He further stated that human trafficking, particularly for sex and labour exploitation, is awfully real and ought to be fought by everyone at all fronts.

The Chief Justice said Uganda was looking at getting as many partners as possible in a bid to effectively execute the respective mandates of each institution of government and civil society.

“The reason for coming out here therefore is to borrow best practices and to confer with our partners on the best way to address these issues. We have had effective partnerships with IJM and Pepperdine University which we are building on,” he said.

Agreed issues of mutual cooperation and assistance include:

a) Training of judicial officers and other justice actors in the specific areas of SGBV and human trafficking to ensure a competent and effective administration of justice. 

b) Advocacy towards improved support to ensure strong governance and strong justice institutions.

c) Targeted assistance to particular programs in the JLOS sector; programs that will make a significant improvement to access to justice for the common person. Taking care of the rights of the lowest person means protection to all

By Andrew Khaukha // Published: October 16, 2017

WASHINGTON DC: United States-based International Justice Mission (IJM) has renewed its commitment to develop Uganda’s expertise for the efficient and professional administration of justice.

The Chief Justice, Bart M. Katureebe, on Monday October 9,2017 signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IJM on behalf of the Uganda Government of Uganda – Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) at the IJM Headquarters in Washington D.C.

The support will be concentrated towards capacity building in areas of reducing case backlog, improving case management and management of records and court registries, plea bargaining and sentencing guidelines.

Other areas of support will include improving court recording management and filing, internship and externship programmes, judgment writing and general promoting innovations in the administration of justice, with particular regard to the indigent, marginalised and victims of gender based violence and violence against children.

In attendance included Uganda Ambassador to the US, Mull Katende; Solicitor General, Francis Atoke, Judiciary Chief Registrar, Gadenya Paul Wolimbwa; and Deputy DPP, Alfred Olem-Ogwal. Others included JLOS Senior Technical Advisor, Rachael Odoi Musoke; Judiciary Technical Advisor, Andrew Khaukha; Private Legal Secretary to the Chief Justice, Boniface Wamala, and a number of senior IJM officials.

In his remarks, the Chief Justice thanked IJM for the work they are doing in Uganda and globally. He said many people in Uganda and the world at large live amidst untold injustice, yet efforts to address such injustices are never enough. “I am delighted that organisations like IJM come in to support the Judiciary in alleviating such human suffering. The activities of IJM are central to the goal of improving access to Justice,” said Justice Katureebe.

The new MoU is an expansion of an earlier one that was between the Uganda Judiciary and IJM with the object of expanding and enhancing mutual cooperation in strategic areas.

Under the old MoU, the IJM has carried out a number of access to Justice initiatives in the districts of Mukono, Gulu, Fort Portal and Kamwenge.

In partnership with the Ugandan Judiciary, the organisation launched two model court houses, operationalising an electronic case administration system, organising more than 100,000 court records, installing and operationalising a stenographic recording system, and developing workflow improvements to enhance efficiency.

IJM also worked with the police and prosecutors to bring criminal cases against perpetrators – especially in cases of violence and property grabbing crimes. #

By Andrew Khaukha // Published: October 16, 2017

My Lord the Deputy Chief Justice
My Lord the Principal Judge
Honourable Ministers
Honourable Justices of the Supreme Court
Honourable Justices of the Court of Appeal
Your Excellency, the Ambassador of Ireland and Chairperson of JLOS Development Partners Group
Your Excellences, Heads of Diplomatic Missions to Uganda
The Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service
Heads of JLOS Institutions
The Solicitor General and Chairperson JLOS Steering Committee
Members of the JLOS Steering and Technical Committees
Heads of Government Agencies and Departments
Partners and stakeholders from civil society
Invited guests
Ladies and Gentlemen


It is my honour to welcome you all to this 20th Joint Annual JLOS Government of Uganda - Development Partners Review. The review is an opportunity to once again take time to reflect on what we have achieved in the past year, and those tasks still ahead of us. I thank our partners for their continued support, in terms of the resources provided but also with regard to the partnership, engagement and joint implementation of projects.

I wish note however, that this was a challenging year where the share of the JLOS budget as a proportion of the national budget dropped by 19% from 6.7% to 5.4% and worse still, the development budget dropped by 45% from 0.4% to 0.22% as a share of the national budget. This budget performance notwithstanding, the Sector was able to achieve commendable performance in the financial year.
I thank the JLOS institutions for their continued service and efforts towards the progress that we have been able to register thus far. I take this opportunity to acknowledge those who we have lost, who have contributed to the growth and the successes we have achieved this year.

I recognise the late General Aronda Nyakairima, Minister of Internal Affairs and member of the Leadership Committee for his exemplary leadership in the reforms in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, and for ably guiding the National Identity Card project and the creation of the National Identity and Registration Authority. I wish also to recognise the late Joan Namazzi Kagezi, Senior Principal State Attorney for her tireless efforts in the investigation and prosecution of terrorism, war crimes and crimes against humanity and her commitment to justice for victims in situations of conflict. I also wish to recognise the late Paul Bogere, Commissioner for Local Council Courts in the Ministry of Local Government who was at the forefront of the project to strengthen and reform the operations of the Local Council Courts as bastions of justice at the grassroots. We salute them and all those who have departed in the year past.

I commend them and all the Sector institutions and staff for their efforts to address the needs of the most vulnerable members of our society, whether in the villages, in communities emerging from conflict or in the towns and cities where they remain vulnerable as a result of poverty or unemployment. As a Sector we acknowledge that vulnerability is a key obstacle to attaining justice for all and we endeavor to profile and target interventions that will alleviate the challenges that the poor and most vulnerable face in accessing justice.

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JINJA - The Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart Katurebe has urged institutions involved in the administration of justice and the rule of law to devise stronger partnerships as a way of ensuring effective and well-coordinated service delivery. The CJ made these remarks while addressing members of the Jinja District Chain-link committee (DCC) and other JLOS officials that converged at Bugungu prison, Jinja district on June 10, 2015. District chain-link committees comprise of JLOS institutions with a presence at district level established to oversee and coordinate JLOS programs and activities through coordination, communication and cooperation.

Hon. Bart Katurebe was on a one-day tour of Jinja districts organized by the Justice, Law and Order Sector – the first of its kind since his appointment as chief justice in March 2015. The Chief Justice was accompanied by the Hon. Kahinda Otafiire, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Hon. Alex Onzima, the minister of state for local government; Hon. Yorokamu Bamwiine, the Principal judge; members of the JLOS development partners group led by the Irish ambassador, H.E Donal Cronin; and other members of the JLOS leadership, steering and technical committee.

During the meeting with DCCs, reports from various JLOS institutions were presented on the current state of operations – from the Police, Prisons service, Uganda Law society, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Judiciary, Justice Centres Uganda, Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development (Juvenile Justice) and the Uganda Human Rights Commission. The Chief Justice appreciated the work each institution is doing in enhancing access to justice to the people of Jinja and commended their efforts even in the midst of challenges such as inadequate staffing, office accommodation and other infrastructure. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Kahinda Otafiire said that the Justice, Law and Order Sector is in the final stages of designing a project that will ensure every district has a “justice centre” – a one stop facility housing front line JLOS institutions to solve office accommodation and space challenges.

The commissioner general of prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija in his remarks thanked the the JLOS leadership for to visiting Bugungu Prison facility. He specifically thanked the Chief Justice for choosing to visit a prison institution on his first JLOS field visit since his appointment earlier this year. Dr. Byabashaija requested that Uganda Prisons be included in the Justice Centres project because of the key role it plays in the overall criminal justice chain and in view of the accommodation challenges it faces due to large prisoner populations.

Earlier, the Chief Justice was taken on a guided tour of Bugungu group of prisons, accompanied by prison officials for an onsite assessment of prisoner living conditions.

By Edgar Kuhimbisa in Jinja / Published: June 13, 2015

JINJA – The Justice, Law and Order Sector continues to be dedicated to ensuring effective and efficient administration of justice and the rule of law. The Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart Katurebe made this declaration while addressing residents of Jinja during a visit to the district organized by the Justice, Law and Order Sector on June 10 2015. Justice Katurebe who is also the chairperson of the JLOS Leadership committee was publicly meeting Jinja residents gathered at Jinja High Court to assess the state of service delivery by JLOS institutions in the district. In what can be described as a baraza moderated by the Solicitor General  - Mr. Francis Atoke, members of the public were allowed to ask questions and put forward their concerns, complaints and grievances with sector officials providing responses. Those who were not able to voice their concerns had their issues documented by JLOS officials for further action by the relevant institutions.

In his speech, the Chief Justice said that he and his team from the Judiciary and other JLOS institutions are set to making the sector open and accountable to the people. He said that his office had established toll free numbers the public could use to directly voice any complaints and report cases of abuse of office by Judicial officers. The office of the Chief Justice directly manages the toll free lines.

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Kahinda Otafiire told the gathering that government is aware of the various challenges they face on a daily basis and continues to devise solutions based to the available resources. He said that given the long list of priorities and a limited resource envelope, some interventions may delay with the most pressing issues being addressed first such as security of people’s lives and property. He reiterated the Sector’s commitment to construction of more office facilities for JLOS institutions through the Justice Centres initiative.

H.E Donal Cronin, the Irish ambassador to Uganda and the current chair of the JLOS Development Partners Group (DPG) applauded the efforts of JLOS in bringing services closer to the people – especially the vulnerable and marginalized. He also congratulated the Justice Katurebe upon his recent appointment to the position of Chief Justice and said the development partners are looking forward to a more fruitful partnership with the sector. The Chief Justice on his part thanked the JLOS development partners for their continued support to the sector and for “sticking around even when the going got tough” – in reference to massive donor cuts to government last year in the wake of the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

The Chief Registrar Mr. Paul Gadenya and officials from the JLOS Secretariat and Jinja High Court were later hosted on local radio talk show where they continued to engage the public on issues affecting the administration of justice and the rule of law in Jinja district.

By Edgar Kuhimbisa in Jinja / Published: June 12, 2015