Hon. Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny - Dollo
The Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny - Dollo, presided over the swearing-in ceremony of five newly appointed Judicial officers of the lower bench, at the Judiciary Headquarters, Kampala.
The five are; Ag Chief Magistrate; HW Hilda Bakanansa Walaga; Magistrates Grade I; HW Aisha Nakiwate, HW Pepera Edith Anne, HW Derrick Kamanzi and HW Ackline Kembabazi, all from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as private practice.
The new Judicial Officers were presented to the Chief Justice by the Registrar High Court, HW Rosemary Bareebe, who is holding forte for the Chief Registrar.
The Chief Justice emphasized to the new Judicial Officers the need for dispensation of justice without fear, favor, affection or ill will, as per the oath taken. "A rich man has no better claim of justice than a poor person. Don't be influenced by any factor whether economic or social status. Let your conscience guide you," the Chief Justice stressed.
He implored them to embrace traditional systems of justice, avoid distortion of justice and urged the new Judicial Officers to maintain transparency, shun corruption and called upon the public to help the institution to fight the vice by reporting any suspected cases with clear evidence. "We have recruited you from out of the Judiciary, do not come with corrupt tendencies," he warned.
Adding that if the people of Uganda shun corruption and take responsibility in fighting against corruption, service delivery will be improved.
The Deputy Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Richard Buteera, urged the judicial officers to bear in mind that the public looks at their single faces as the entire image of the Judiciary, hence the need to exercise high level of caution while exercising their duties.
"The public is looking at you as the representative of the court. They are observing your actions, dress code and how you treat them. Justice begins from people feeling comfortable when they come to court," he said. He also urged them to be decent, polite and maintain good relationships at their stations to the people they supervise.
He further highlighted the need to build good working relationships with various justice actors, if they are to achieve excellent performances, for without such coordination, nothing much will be achieved.
The Principal Judge, Hon. Justice Dr Flavian Zeija, encouraged the judicial officers to be open minded and accept to be challenged in case their decisions are to be appealed against. "Many litigants get frustrated and end up losing their cases on appeal because some of the judicial officers whose decisions are to be challenged do not want their rulings and judgments challenged", he noted.
He added that judicial officers shouldn't fear to have their decisions challenged since it is important for the people they serve' from whom judicial power is derived.
HW Rosemary Bareebe called upon the officers to jealously guard their positions in the Judiciary Service. She urged them to attach meaning to the oaths taken. "Be the change and improvement that you want to see in this institution. Take the oath meaningfully and take to heart everything that you say," she noted.
The new officers were advised to exercise integrity, ensure zero tolerance to corruption, shun absenteeism, laziness, poor time keeping, offer timely rulings and judgements, practice high standards of customer care service as well as encourage the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
The ceremony was moderated by the Public Relations Officer, HW James Ereemye Jumire Mawanda.
Posted 17th, January 2024
