KAMPALA: The Deputy Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo urged Magistrates to wholly embrace Small Claims Procedure (SCP) as one of settling civil claims below Shs10m. He said the performance of the fast access to justice initiative is impressive and continues to post very good results.
"The Procedure is simple and less formal, cases are disposed of quickly and cheaply without the participation of lawyers," said the DCJ while presiding over the Annual Small Procedure Review Meeting at the Judicial Training Institute on Wednesday March 20, 2019.
"For once, I believe that the cry of our poor people for justice has been answered.I therefore want to encourage all magistrates in Uganda to embrace this Procedure. This will not only make your work easy but will also restore public confidence in the courts," he added.
SCP was established by the Judiciary in 2012 to help in the adjudication of civi lclaims whose subject matter does not exceed Shs10m. Matters handled under this initiative are concluded within a month.
The DCJ shared that the Procedure is now operational in 55 courts.
He also revealed that the amount of money recovered from the use of SCP has grown to more than Shs10 billion and that the average disposal of such cases stands above 80%.
"In fact, I am told that in some courts, they registered 100% disposal rate. This is certainly no mean achievement and it calls for celebration," he said.
Court of Appeal's Hon. Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, who chairs the Small Claims Procedure Implementation Committee, said since its inception in 2012, SCP has grown into a credible dispute mechanism for emerging business persons and alsothe vulnerable in society.
Out of the more than 8,000 cases registered in 2018, 6,542 cases were disposed off under Small Claims Procedure and Shs10.5 billion was recovered.
Hon. Justice Kiryabwire shared that the SCP model is now being replicated in many countries around Africa.
The Ag.Registrar SCP, HW Lillian Bucyana, said the ultimate goal is to ensure that the procedure is extended to all courts in the country.
Posted 21st, March 2019
