Court of Appeal holds session in Gulu
Jun 01, 2010
THE deputy Chief Justice, Laetitia Mukasa-Kikonyogo, on Monday opened the Court of Appeal criminal session in Gulu, saying ensuring access to justice is one of the greatest challenges facing the judiciary.
By Chris Ocowun
and Justin Moro
THE deputy Chief Justice, Laetitia Mukasa-Kikonyogo, on Monday opened the Court of Appeal criminal session in Gulu, saying ensuring access to justice is one of the greatest challenges facing the judiciary.
Kikonyogo said to speed up civil trials and clear the backlog cases required legislative reform like the amendment of civil procedure rules, mandatory alternative, dispute resolution and plea bargaining for criminal cases.
She added that the appointment of more judicial officers was also crucial, as well as the strict enforcement of performance standards.
Kikonyogo said the modernisation and streamlining of the court system was important in ensuring protection of human rights and increased public confidence in the Judiciary.
“The Judiciary and its stakeholders, commonly referred to as Justice, Law and Order Sector, through its strategic plan, has embarked on modern reforms to get rid of outdated procedures and old administrative and management systems,†she said.
Kikonyogo explained that the Judiciary was initiating technological communication and management to improve the delivery of justice.
Kikonyogo, who heads the Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, attributed the challenges to ensuring access to justice to the rise in population, saying this has increased demand of judicial services.
“The courts must therefore find ways of coping with this challenge to ensure that the necessary improvements are made.
Many disputes in Uganda remain unresolved as the poor are unable to get access to affordable dispute resolutions. Such disputes are a continuous drain on the resources of the poor households, especially if the settlement process takes long to finalise,†she added.
Kikonyogo explained that most of the aggrieved parties try all available avenues of conflict resolution, including violence.
She added that the solution to the disputes is to have an independent, effective, just and efficient judicial system that fosters respect for the rule of law and improves access to justice.
Kikonyogo noted that the Judiciary has undertaken a strategy to reduce case backlog by 30% by September and by 40% by December.
She said the courts and other stakeholders like the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Police will be required to weed out unnecessarily time-barred cases.
“Although the appellate courts have circuits that take them out of the headquarters, this particular session is also part of the strategy to fight backlog cases. It saves witnesses unnecessary expenses like transport, maintenance and distance,†Kikonyogo said.
The Court of Appeal judges will spend June in Gulu to dispose of 51 cases of defilement, rape, robbery, murder and manslaughter.
It was the first time the court has gone to the regional circuits to deliver justice.
He said the Judiciary and other stakeholders must work harder to ensure that justice is explored from the lowest to the highest courts.
Kasule stated that the only way to stop disputes and suffering is to adhere to the rule of law, adding that in case of dissatisfaction with the ruling in the lower courts, people should always go to the higher courts.
and Justin Moro
THE deputy Chief Justice, Laetitia Mukasa-Kikonyogo, on Monday opened the Court of Appeal criminal session in Gulu, saying ensuring access to justice is one of the greatest challenges facing the judiciary.
Kikonyogo said to speed up civil trials and clear the backlog cases required legislative reform like the amendment of civil procedure rules, mandatory alternative, dispute resolution and plea bargaining for criminal cases.
She added that the appointment of more judicial officers was also crucial, as well as the strict enforcement of performance standards.
Kikonyogo said the modernisation and streamlining of the court system was important in ensuring protection of human rights and increased public confidence in the Judiciary.
“The Judiciary and its stakeholders, commonly referred to as Justice, Law and Order Sector, through its strategic plan, has embarked on modern reforms to get rid of outdated procedures and old administrative and management systems,†she said.
Kikonyogo explained that the Judiciary was initiating technological communication and management to improve the delivery of justice.
Kikonyogo, who heads the Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, attributed the challenges to ensuring access to justice to the rise in population, saying this has increased demand of judicial services.
“The courts must therefore find ways of coping with this challenge to ensure that the necessary improvements are made.
Many disputes in Uganda remain unresolved as the poor are unable to get access to affordable dispute resolutions. Such disputes are a continuous drain on the resources of the poor households, especially if the settlement process takes long to finalise,†she added.
Kikonyogo explained that most of the aggrieved parties try all available avenues of conflict resolution, including violence.
She added that the solution to the disputes is to have an independent, effective, just and efficient judicial system that fosters respect for the rule of law and improves access to justice.
Kikonyogo noted that the Judiciary has undertaken a strategy to reduce case backlog by 30% by September and by 40% by December.
She said the courts and other stakeholders like the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Police will be required to weed out unnecessarily time-barred cases.
“Although the appellate courts have circuits that take them out of the headquarters, this particular session is also part of the strategy to fight backlog cases. It saves witnesses unnecessary expenses like transport, maintenance and distance,†Kikonyogo said.
The Court of Appeal judges will spend June in Gulu to dispose of 51 cases of defilement, rape, robbery, murder and manslaughter.
It was the first time the court has gone to the regional circuits to deliver justice.
He said the Judiciary and other stakeholders must work harder to ensure that justice is explored from the lowest to the highest courts.
Kasule stated that the only way to stop disputes and suffering is to adhere to the rule of law, adding that in case of dissatisfaction with the ruling in the lower courts, people should always go to the higher courts.