One of the newly appointed magistrates takes oath
Uganda’s\r\nChief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart Katureebe vowed to have Magistrates thrown\r\nbehind the bars if they engage in corruption tendencies.
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Hon.\r\nJustice Katureebe made the remarks on May 7, 2015 during the swearing in\r\nceremony for 8 newly appointed Grade One Magistrates at the High Court in\r\nKampala.
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"If\r\nyou joined the profession in order to make money, then you are in a wrong place\r\nor else you will end up in jail. You are here to play an important role in the\r\ndispensation of justice and not engaging in other acts,” Hon. Justice Katureebe\r\nwarned.
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"Cases\r\nof corruption are there in the Judiciary and its true we are inadequately\r\nremunerated but this should not be an excuse to be corrupted. We have to bear\r\nwith it (little pay) as government gets more resources otherwise do not\r\nundermine your career because of money.”
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According\r\nto the Chief Justice, the Judiciary is crucial in the administration of good\r\ngovernance and all judicial officers ought to live by the oaths they swear on\r\ninception to the profession.
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"We\r\nare an essential ingredient for good governance and it’s a challenge for us to\r\npromote administration of justice as part of good governance. Each time you\r\ndelay giving a judgment, you are delaying justice which is a sign of either\r\nincompetence or having been corrupted.”
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Hon.\r\nJustice Katureebe retorted that Magistrates are key in the restoration of\r\npublic trust in the judiciary which he said can only be achieved through\r\ndispensation of justice independently and in a fair manner to all.
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He\r\nequated the newly appointed Magistrates to new brooms that sweep clean urging\r\nthem to always follow their code of conduct while carrying out\r\ntheir duties.
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"Your\r\nprivate and public life will always be judged on your code of conduct as the\r\npublic looks at you as promoters of fundamental freedoms. You should always\r\npromote reconciliation between warring parties.”
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Meanwhile,\r\nthe Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart Katureebe handed over 47 laptops to Chief\r\nMagistrates from courts all over the country. Handing them over at a function\r\nheld at High Court, Hon. Justice Katureebe noted that this is move intended to\r\nease the work of the judicial officers in their dispensation of justice.
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"We\r\nare in the new era of technology which necessitates the use of new gadgets for\r\ncommunication, research and keeping in touch with other people in the judiciary\r\nin other parts of the world. This will replace the use of papers and help you\r\nextend frontiers of justice to all without discrimination,” Katureebe said of\r\nthe new laptops to the Chief Magistrates.
This article was published by Chimp Reports on May 6, 2015
Posted 7th, May 2015
