Hon. Justice Dr Bamwine and Hon. Lady Justice Elizabeth Aldiviza
ENTEBBE\r\n– Small Claims\r\nProcedure (SCP), one of Uganda’s fast-growing initiatives helping low income\r\nearners with civil claims access to quick justice, has been rolled out to the 12th\r\nMagisterial Area.
The Procedure – a form of mediation in\r\ncourt matters arising out of the supply of goods, debts and rent – not\r\nexceeding Shs 10 million, was launched in the Chief Magistrates Court of Entebbe\r\nduring a grand Court Open Day event at the Mayor’s Garden on July 24,2015.
SCP was piloted two years ago in the\r\nMagisterial Areas of Mengo, Masaka, Arua, Lira and Kabale, and extended to the\r\nJinja, Mbarara, Makindye, Mbale, Nakawa and Nabweru Magisterial Areas. Later\r\nthis year, the Procedure will be expended to the areas of Luweero, Kasese,\r\nKitgum, Bushenyi, Mukono, Iganga, Soroti, Busia, Masindi, Hoima, Fort Portal,\r\nMpigi, Gulu and Nakasongola.
Presiding over the event, the\r\nPrincipal Judge, Hon. Justice Dr. Yorokamu Bamwine, said that the Judiciary is\r\ngetting closer to the people through innovations such as SCP. "We’re here for\r\nyou. We want to dispense justice to the people in an efficient and affordable\r\nway,” said Hon. Justice Bamwine.
He said that with initiatives like\r\nSmall Claims Procedure in place, people should not fear courts, or event think\r\nof corrupting any court staff to get justice.
Hon. Justice Bamwine, who is the\r\nadministrative head of the High Court and the lower courts, said he is ready to\r\nset traps to catch any corrupt judicial officer as the Judiciary moves to clean\r\nits public image against the vice of corruption.
"I will provide a trap to get any\r\nmagistrate asking for a bribe from litigants” said Hon. Justice Bamwine,\r\nadding, "one (magistrate) recently survived my trap...So magistrates stand\r\nwarned.”
Hon. Justice Bamwine said he would provide\r\nis money that will act as a bait to trap any magistrate who will be asking for\r\na bribe from court users who may not be able to raise such money being demanded\r\nby that particular magistrate.
He also took the same forum to warn\r\nall those judicial officers who take long to pass their judgments. He said once\r\na judicial officer concludes hearing a case, he/she has up to two months in\r\nwhich to pass that judgment. He said that any judicial officer who violates\r\nthis practice, he should be notified so that he takes disciplinary action.
During the plenary session at the\r\nCourt Open Day, some residents of Entebbe accused magistrates of reporting to\r\ncourt very late, a vice that they said inconveniences all parties involved in\r\nthat case.
But in response, Hon. Justice Bamwine\r\nadvised the area residents to report to him such judicial officers so that he\r\nmay take appropriate disciplinary action.
The police was not spared too by the\r\narea residents as they accused them of arresting locals and straight away\r\nremand them to Kigo prison without going through courts of law as the practice\r\ndemands.
Small\r\nClaims Procedure
Small Claims Procedure provides the\r\npossibility of resolving civil suits in not more than 30 days. The parties to a\r\nclaim are mediated by a judicial officer to reach a quick agreement, without\r\ninvolving lawyers, and not going through the usually lengthy and costly court\r\nprocess. Agreements from SCP settlements are executed like any other court\r\norder, except that there is no chance for appeal.
Court\r\nOpen Days
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Open Day is when the public gets to\r\ninteract with officials from institutions that are charged with the\r\nadministration of justice like the Judiciary, Police, DPP, Prisons, among\r\nothers.
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Posted 27th, July 2015
