Acholi chiefs reject local land courts

Jul 28, 2009

ACHOLI traditional leaders have denounced the local council court system, saying it is incompetent to handle land disputes. Under the Kerkwaro cultural institution, the Acholi clan leaders said the LC courts are prone to manipulation by politicians and, t

By Francis Emorut

ACHOLI traditional leaders have denounced the local council court system, saying it is incompetent to handle land disputes. Under the Kerkwaro cultural institution, the Acholi clan leaders said the LC courts are prone to manipulation by politicians and, therefore, they cannot be relied on to dispense justice.

“We are not against the Government but the LC courts should not adjudicate on land matters, it should be left to the cultural leaders or handled by sub-county courts,” said Picho Oywelo, who is a teacher by profession.

“The Acholi Paramount Chief should be the mediator and decisions taken in the seating with cultural leaders should be binding.” Justin Ocitti argued that the LC courts are not facilitated and, therefore, were a fertile ground for corruption.

The clan leaders also accused LC courts of being biased when handling customary land disputes. The Acholi tradional leaders were speaking at a sensitisation workshop for the district cultural leaders on gender-based sexual violence at Sunset Hotel in Gulu.

The workshop was organised by FIDA Uganda, the Danish International Development Agency and the United Nations Fund for Women.

The clan leaders advocated for the streamlining of the LC courts so that they can dispense justice without bias. The cultural leaders also insisted that the traditional system, Mato-put, was the best way to handle cases of murder by the LRA rebels in order to bring reconciliation.

“Mato-put traditional justice system is the best when you tell the truth that you have killed, that is when the community accepts you,” Martin Otinga, the deputy Acholi paramount chief, said.

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