Hon. Justice Bart Katureebe with members of the Judiciary Editorial Committee
KAMPALA –\r\nAs one of the measures to empower its judicial officers’ to effectively\r\nadminister justice and to streamline information flow from the Judiciary to the\r\npublic, two important committees have been set up.
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The Hon. Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart\r\nKatureebe on June 11, 2015 inaugurated the Bench Book Committee and the\r\nJudiciary Editorial Board headed by a Supreme Court justice and a High Court\r\nJudge respectively.
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Hon. Justice John Wilson Tsekooko\r\n(Supreme Court) is to chair the six-man Bench Book Committee whose members are Hon.\r\nJustice Richard Buteera (Court of Appeal), Hon. Justice David Wangutusi (head\r\nof Commercial Court), Director Law Development Centre, the President Uganda Law\r\nSociety, and His Worship Festo Nsenga, an Assistant Registrar, who will be the\r\nCommittee secretary.
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The Committee’s first mandate is to\r\nconclude and publish the Civil Bench Book, earlier drafted by the Law\r\nDevelopment Centre, to help standardize court procedural matters and eliminate\r\nunnecessary delays in the administration of justice.
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Hon. Justice Katureebe said it is\r\nimportant for judicial officers to have a "sound and unequivocal knowledge of\r\nthe Civil Procedures Rules to guide the judicial process”.
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Hon. Justice Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe\r\n(High Court Civil Division) chairs the Editorial Board which has His Worship Paul\r\nGadenya Wolimbwa (Chief Registrar), Mrs. Dorcas W. Okalany (Secretary to the\r\nJudiciary), His Worship Erias Omar Kisawuzi (Public Relations Officer), Her\r\nWorship Jessica Chemeri (Senior Law Reporting Officer) as members, and Mr. Solomon\r\nMuyita (Senior Communications Officer) as secretary to the Board.
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The Chief Justice urged the Editorial\r\nBoard to maximize modern methods of communication and the social media to\r\npromote greater public understanding of the work of the Judiciary. "The\r\nEditorial Committee has a huge challenge in educating the public about the law\r\nto empower them to effectively participate in the administration of justice…the\r\nJudiciary should be rebranded into a unique organization with a good reputation\r\nand integrity,” said Hon. Justice Katureebe.
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Committee functions:
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Bench Book Committee: It\r\nis tasked to review the Draft Civil Justice Bench Book to make it conform to\r\nthe laws of Uganda; make recommendations for improving the draft; present the\r\nBook in an easy-to-read language and style; and advise the Chief Justice on the\r\nmost cost effective way of publishing and disseminating Bench Books, among\r\nother things.
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Judiciary Editorial Board: Its\r\nduty is to regularly plan, review and approve the content of official positions\r\nof the Judiciary intended for the public; enhance and sustain information\r\nsharing and communication to improve public trust and confidence in the\r\nJudiciary; create general awareness about the courts in Uganda; oversee the\r\nbranding of the Judiciary as well as the production of the Judiciary Insider\r\nand other publications, among other things.
Posted 17th, June 2015
