LCs Need Specialized Training in Dispute Resolution - PJ
Hon. Justice Dr. Bamwine with the participants at the Dialogue about the Role of LC 1 in Dispute Resolution
KAMPALA: The Hon. The Principal Judge, Hon.Justice Dr. Yorokamu Bamwine, called for specialized training of all members in operation of Local Council Courts.
He said there is also need to improve record keeping as well as increased awareness and appreciations amongst communities on the roles and responsibilities of the Local Council Courts.
The PJ made the remarks on Friday September 28, 2018 at the Dialogue about the Role of Local Council I in Dispute Resolution in Kampala.
"The Local Council Courts especially the lowest village level courts LC1 offer a form of justice that is more accessible to the most impoverished people of Uganda," he said.
He urged the LCs to keep their records. "...Because of lack of proper record keeping, it becomes inevitable for the appeal court to rehear the case de novo and conduct a locus in quo afresh, thereby incurring further costs and exacerbating case backlog in Magistrates courts."
According to the HiiL Report of 2016 on justice needs in Uganda, an estimated more than 46% of the Ugandan population utilize Local Council Courts to settle disputes.
It was found that LCCs provide an alternative to the formal court system which is procedurally complex, less accessible and expensive especially to the majority rural poor.
Posted 29th, September 2018
