Hon. Justice Bart Katureebe
As\r\npart of its fresh clean-up campaign to restore public confidence, the Judiciary\r\nhas set up SMS hotlines for the public to report malpractices in the courts.
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Telephone\r\nnumbers +256 (0)776 709100; +256 (0)703 707085 and\r\n+256 (0)794 702 085 have been availed to the public to send\r\nprecise SMS feedback reporting incidents of unprofessional conduct against\r\njudicial officers and court support staff.
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"We\r\nare determined more than ever before, to fight corruption and malpractices in\r\nthe courts. We are tired of the Judiciary appearing on the list of the most\r\ncorrupt institutions in Uganda,” said the Chief Justice, Bart Katureebe, while\r\nreleasing the hotlines to the public.
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Mr\r\nPaul Gadenya, the chief registrar of Courts of Judicature, said the Judiciary\r\nhas a comprehensive plan to strengthen the complaints handling mechanism. "The\r\nthree hotlines are just the first step in line with our improving interface\r\nwith the public,” he said.
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"In\r\nthe near future, we shall have a revamped and well-resourced Inspectorate of\r\nCourts; we will provide Information, Education and Communication materials to\r\nempower the people to use the courts, even without a lawyer. We are also in the\r\nprocess of establishing a strong customer service centre at the High Court in\r\nKampala, and we will aggressively reach the public through the internet and\r\nsocial media.”
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The Chief\r\nJustice urged court users with evidence of any wrongdoing in the courts to SMS\r\nthe information on the Hotlines provided so the reports are properly\r\ninvestigated and forwarded for disciplinary action.
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"We\r\nare open and people can reach us by SMS so we can keep a record. Give us the\r\nfacts on any form of malpractices by our staff and we shall follow up and take\r\nappropriate action,” said Hon. Justice Katureebe.
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With\r\nthese measures and many more to be announced, Hon. Justice Katureebe is\r\nconfident that corruption and other malpractices will gradually be eliminated\r\nin the Judiciary.
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Mr\r\nGadenya said it is important for a highly centralized institution like the\r\nJudiciary to always use a multiplicity of communication because most people do\r\nnot come to court.
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"We will receive the complaints and deal\r\nwith them promptly. We request the complainants to give us a little more\r\ninformation for proper follow-up purposes,” said Mr Gadenya.
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Late\r\nApril, Hon. Justice Katureebe announced plans to strengthen the Inspectorate of\r\nCourts to conduct increased and ad hoc court inspections, under the leadership\r\nof a Supreme Court justice, yet to be named.
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The\r\ninstitution is also conducting continuous public engagement programmes with\r\ncivic leaders and court users in different parts of the country to explain the\r\nfunctions of the Judiciary and the courts at the different levels.
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Editors notes:
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The chief justice recently wrote to\r\nindividuals who have publicly claimed to have evidence of corruption against\r\nsome judicial officers to present it to him. He said his administration would\r\nnot defend or protect corrupt staff or judicial officers. "…furnish me with the\r\nevidence in your possession so that the necessary course of action is taken in\r\naccordance with the law and the constitution…Let us work together to improve\r\nand strengthen the administration of Justice in our country,” Justice Katureebe\r\nwrote, in part, in his letters to the different individuals between April 22\r\nand 28. The individuals contacted are yet to get back to the chief justice with\r\nthe information requested. \r\n
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Posted 19th, May 2015
