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Chief Registrar Sarah Langa has called for unity and cooperation with one another for the betterment of members of the Uganda Judicial Officers Association.

The association is an umbrella body that brings together members of the bench in the Judiciary.

This was during the annual general meeting of the association held on May 5, 2024, at Hotel Africana, Kampala.

Langa said many judicial officers are complaining that the outgoing executive had not done a lot in terms of sensitisation but to her, the executive has done and delivered as expected to the extent that they even had consultations with the top management of the Judiciary.

She encouraged members to work as a team such that each one can have an individual responsibility in the growth of the Association.

"Each member can fish out some members and bring them to the Association. Today I didn't fish out anyone to the meeting. How many of you rub shoulders with Justice Gidudu? Isn't it here that we have such? Are you going to meet him at your Katakwi station?" Langa asked.

She said the association will not thrive if the judicial officers remain divided, blaming games on each other as opposed to working together to grow the association.

The Chief Registrar said that people should not be forced to be members by having automatic deductions from their salaries as some people were proposing to increase the numbers. She believes that Membership can increase without compulsion.

Langa made the remarks while in the plenary session where she was commenting on the views that were being brought by different officers.

The majority of them proposed that there should be automatic deductions of subscription fees from all judicial officers’ salaries to compel them to join the Association. Others had accused the outgoing executive of failing to sensitise new judicial Officers which was cited as one of the reasons for having fewer members.

It is against this background that the chief registrar responded and called for collective responsibility in her guidance. 

Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bamugemereire presented an amended Constitution for UJOA.

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, also the UJOA patron attended the meeting.