Bujuuko Magistrates on Friday, held its maiden court open day which was presided over by the Principal Judge, Dr Flavian Zeija.
The day was held under” the theme; “Enhancing Judicial Accountability & Access to Justice.
Different stakeholders including members of the public, civic leaders and political leaders called for the deployment of a substantive state attorney at the Court to improve better management of cases.
While addressing the court users, the Principal Judge stated that the Judiciary is dedicated to serving the public and outlined strategies put in place for enhancing service delivery. These include increasing the number of High Court Circuits, setting up regional Courts of Appeal, increasing magisterial areas, leveraging technology, and promoting usage of Alternative Dispute Resolution methods, among others.
Justice Dr Zeija implored the Judicial Officers to prioritize best practices within the justice system such as zero-tolerance policy for corruption, ensuring timely and certain hearing dates, prompt delivery of judgments and rulings and upholding excellent customer service standards.
He noted that soon, the Judiciary will be holding mobile court sessions as a means of taking judicial services closer to the people they serve.
The Chief Registrar, HW Sarah Langa Siu said the court open day was an intentional policy to get feedback from the consumers of justice services. “We are here today to receive feedback about our services,” she said.
The court users reiterated that the lack of a substantive State Attorney affects the service delivery of the Court.
HW Langa went on to introduce the Bujuuko court’s Judicial Officer and his staff and advised court users to avoid brokers as they don’t play any role in the justice system. On the issue of payments for cash bail, she urged court users to ensure that these monies are paid in the bank.
HW Kaggwa John Francis, the Wakiso Chief Magistrate who supervises Bujuuko Court handled the question-and-answer session where court users sought answers from different justice actors. The majority of questions focused on the lack of a state attorney at Bujuuko court, corruption within the police force, delays in resolving land disputes and the need for translation of legal materials into local languages.
HW, Kintu Imoran Isaac, Magistrate Grade I Bujuuko noted that the Court has backlog and that its caseload now stood at 36 cases.
The Assistant Resident District Commissioner, Wakiso District, Ms. Angel Namulime thanked the Judiciary for hosting the open day at Bujuuko court. She also pledged her full support to the Court.
The event provided a valuable forum for promoting meaningful dialogue and interaction between the Judiciary and court users, reaffirming the Judiciary’s unwavering commitment to accountability, active stakeholder engagement, and continuous service improvement.
Judicial Officers under Wakiso Magisterial area, various justice actors including advocates, local leaders, religious leaders and the public turned up to witness the Court’s first open day.
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