Hon. Justice Katureebe (Chief Justice), speaking at the groundbreaking function of Sembabule Justice Centre
The Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bart M. Katureebe, presided over the groundbreaking function for the construction of Sembabule Justice Centre.
The head of the Judiciary and Chairperson of the Justice Law and Order Sector laid a foundation stone for the new Justice Centre and said it was a privilege to see the Centre come to life.
Eng.Dr Christopher Ebal, the Commissioner Engineering and Technical Services, who is the head of the JLOS Construction Committee explained to the Chief Justice that the Centre will be home to the Chief Magistrates Court, the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution and a Police Station.
As a memorial, the Chief Justice, Minister of Justice and Constitution Affairs, Prof Ephraim Kamuntu and the Sembabule Woman Member of Parliament, Anifa Bangirana Kawooya, planted trees as a memorial of the one-stop administration of justice hub.
He said the Centre was a result of Government intervention to tackle issues of Justice in a sector-wide system. Adding that it was a true testament of bringing services closer to the people. "These are deliberate efforts taken by the Judiciary with support from JLOS and development partners to take its services nearer to the people," he said.
The Chief Justice likened the justice to the air breathed that is taken for granted until it is interfered with. Saying likewise, many people only see the relevance of the judicial system when they are directly.
"If you have an expanding economy it means all sorts of things are happening, the more you expand the greater the propensity to have disputes and therefore you must have a system to resolve the arising disputes not to disrupt the economy," the Chief Justice said.
Quoting a report from the Uganda Bankers Association, the Chief Justice said it had been observed that at least Shs3 trillion had been tied up at the Commercial Court due to unresolved disputes. He said as such the Court needs at least eight judges to handle the caseload but due to constraints they have a less number.
He said it was equally important to empower the police to ensure that investigations are carried out in a timely manner to improve delivery of service in the justice chain.
"Many times suspects are arraigned in court but there is no evidence or the evidence was badly gathered which cannot sustain a conviction. And when this happens courts are accused of corruption."
Adding that until recently, prisons were looked at as condemnation centres because of the conditions therein. But this had changed since prisons are centres that accord inmates humane treatment as enshrined in the constitution. "All the new prisons being constructed now have water borne systems and the 'bucket system'is now a thing of the past."
The Chief Justice treasured the people of Sembabule that the next phase of action was to build houses of magistrates as well as open a prison facility.
The Magistrate Grade One, HW Oburu Morris Ezra thanked JLOS for providing the funds for constructing the Centre.
He appealed to the Judiciary administration to consider providing a vehicle to ease handling of land matters in the area. He also said there was a challenge of litigants having to travel to Masaka in order to make payments to Uganda Revenue Authority which had become cumbersome.
The Principal Judge, Hon. Justice Dr Flavian Zeija promised to bring the matter URA administration so that cost-effective way of making payments can be explored.
The Resident District Commissioner for Sembabule, Mr Nixon Kabuye, thanked the contractors - Dolphin Constructors - for carrying out a great service that they are rendering to the community. He said no complaints had been made against the contractors and the work done so far has been of good quality.
He asked the courts to rein in on administrators of estates to avoid misuse of the estates they are managing.
The area MP pledged Shs5m towards the Centre saying it’s an honor to be a beneficiary of such a one stop Centre hub.
She described the event as one of the most memorable events of the justice system in the district.
She narrated an experience when she went to Sembabule court and the rain caught up with her forcing the Magistrate and the other court users to halt court as the winds threatened to blow away the roof.
She said the experience gave her a picture of the state of magistrate courts countrywide as they serve in most difficult situations calling for improved terms of service.
She thanked the Judiciary for the continued efforts to regain public trust saying these were paying off.
Hon. Kawooya commended the Judicial Officers serving in greater Masaka for being incorruptible and pledged to support the Judiciary in Parliament.
The Minister of Justice thanked the MP for the testimony that the Judicial Officers were corrupt free. “Corruption undermines the sense of justice and taints the credibility of the Judiciary. We want to build institutions so that anyone who dares to bribe their way does not escape the long arm of the law.”
Prof. Kamuntu expressed optimism that the Administration of Judiciary Bill would soon be passed to ensure effective administration of justice.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Masaka Resident Judge, Hon. Lady Justice Victoria Katamba, JLOS Senior Technical Advisor, Ms Rachel Odoi Musoke, Deputy Senior Technical Advisor, Mr Sam Wairagala. Representatives from the different JLOS institutions as well as Masaka Chief Magistrate took part.
Posted 11th, March 2020
