KAMPALA - The Court of Appeal Justices Hellen Obura, Muzamiru M. Kibeedi, and Moses K. Kazibwe have concluded the hearing and disposal of criminal appeals at Masaka High Court. The Honourable Deputy Chief Justice, Richard Buteera, flagged off the session at an opening ceremony on 15th July 2024 with a clarion call to the actors involved in the criminal session, emphasizing the crucial role of recent precedents from the court in avoiding unnecessary delays in matters with settled jurisprudence.  Twenty-eight (28) Appeals were listed for hearing.

The Appeal Justices demonstrated their commitment to swift justice by delivering instant judgments in 24 of the 28 appeals listed, allowing all parties to leave the court with their signed judgments. This, along with the dismissal of four other appeals, resulted in a 100% case disposal in the session.

Two of the dismissed appeals involved cases in which the Appellant's prayer to set aside life sentences imposed by the High Court for murder and aggravated robbery was not granted. The appeals allowed mainly dealt with non-compliance with the constitutional requirement to deduct the pre-trial remand period.  The Honorable Justices exercised their powers under section 11 of the Judicature Act to re-sentence the appellants.

In a post-session meeting with stakeholders, the head of the panel, Honorable Lady Justice Hellen Obura, thanked the stakeholders for heeding the Chief Justice’s call and advice, which she stated had led to the results achieved. She also thanked the Senior Resident Judge of Masaka, Honorable Lady Justice Katamba Victoria Nakintu, and Deputy Registrar High Court Masaka, Her Worship Loe Karungi, for the support rendered. She further thanked the Magistrates, Research for extra hours writing legal briefs. The support staff were equally thanked for their role in facilitating the smooth flow of the session.

Justice Kazibwe thanked the lawyers for the quality submissions and said they reflected time and effort. Justice Kibeedi thanked the ODPP team for being “on top of their game” and called on the lawyers to invest in themselves, noting that there was always room to perform at their best.

President Yoweri Museveni has supported the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), an innovation that the Judiciary wants to roll out to quickly dispose of cases within the community.

Museveni during Thursday’s commissioning of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal buildings at City Square in Kampala, said that the initiative will reduce a lot of anger in the population.

The system involves the use of mediation, arbitration, and negotiations conducted by personalities that all parties respect and trust to solve such disputes.

“I want to thank the Judiciary again for what they have correctly called the original justice system. I am glad that you are providing a window where even murder can be forgiven, instead of pursuing the line of an eye for an eye; I praise you for this effort, once we institutionalise, a lot of anger in the population will be avoided,” Museveni said.

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President. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commissioned two Appellate Court twin buildings to host the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal which have been in rented premises since Independence. The buildings located in the middle of Kampala at Plot 2 were commissioned on Thursday.

President Museveni said he was very happy that the buildings were constructed using the government of Uganda’s money and not a loan from foreign countries. He said this proves what the National Resistance Movement told them from the beginning there is nothing they can’t do when they learn to prioritize and avoid touching so many things.

Museveni appreciated the fact that the Judiciary is a peace maker and when they adjudicate, they bring peace in place and production hence contributing greatly to the economic development.

Museveni promised to invite the Chief Justice for a discussion on their priorities too as the Judiciary and issues of limited budget constraints.

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In a meeting with the Law Development Center (LDC) management at the Court of Appeal on Monday February 12, 2024 in Kampala, the Deputy Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Richard Buteera emphasized the need of maintaining high-quality lawyers from LDC to ensure effective justice delivery.

The LDC is the only institution in Uganda that offers the Bar Course leading to the award of the post-graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

The purpose of the visit was to brief him on the upcoming 51st LDC graduation ceremony scheduled for April 19, 2024.

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Outgoing Chief Justice Bart Katureebe got the perfect send-off when President Yoweri Museveni assented to the Administration of Judiciary Bill, 2018 to make law.

Parliament early this month passed the bill that guarantees the independence of the Judiciary as the third arm of the State under the doctrine of separation of powers and on Friday, June 19, 2020, Museveni appended signature to it to ensure it becomes law.

About the Law

The new law provides for and strengthens the independence of the Judiciary.

The Administration of Judiciary law operationalizes provisions of the Constitution relating to the Judiciary, administration of justice, improve efficiency and effectiveness of the courts, strengthen the independence of courts, and streamline their administration.

The law also creates guidelines and references for a legal and justice system by spelling out jurisdiction divisions, conditions for trials, sentencing, and court fees.

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DOWNLOAD: Administration of Judiciary Act of 2020

Published: June 19, 2020