President Museveni has urged judges to be independent and stand by the judicial oath they took, whilst executing their judicial roles without ill will.
Museveni made the remarks in his speech presented by Vice President Jessica Alupo during the opening ceremony of the 25th annual Judges’ Conference, held on Monday, February 5, 2024, at the Serena Hotel.
Stand by the Judicial Oath you took without ill will, because Ugandans are mindful of where they have come from, where they have reached and where they are heading to,” the speech read in part.
Alupo told the judges to serve the people of Uganda and assured them of support from the government, applauding Chief Justice Owinyi Dolo for always gathering judges together at the start of each year for the purpose of planning.
“The Government is committed to support the Judiciary to execute its mandate, as we serve the people of Uganda in their quest for Justice and realize its transformation agenda… I thank the Chief Justice for maintaining the good practice of meeting the judges at the beginning of each year for purposes of planning for the year together,” she said.
Minister of justice and constitutional affairs Norbert Mao called upon the public to stop castigating judges without considering the legal principles applied to particular facts to arrive at legal decisions made.
It is wrong for those who criticise judges to only look at the decision without considering the legal principles applied to particular facts,”he said.
Mao added that while they fight for judicial accountability, judges must retain their independence, not withstanding even distorted criticism against them.
The 25th annual judges conference is being held under the theme: a people-centered approach to justice.
25th Annual Judges Conference
The Judiciary finalised preparations for the 2024 Annual Judges Conference scheduled to take place starting on Monday 5th February 2024 up to Thursday 8th February 2024 at Serena Hotel in Kampala under the theme: “A People-Centered Approach to Justice.”
The conference will attract Justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court as well as Registrars, Deputy Registrars and Assistant Registrars.
“The Conference is an annual event where justices come together to evaluate the previous year’s performance and pave the way forward for the best practice in the administration of justice.”
Remarked Justice Mike Chibita, a member of the organising committee on addressing journalists on Thursday.
He added that the general objective of this conference is to take stock of the judiciary’s performance for the year 2023, as well as share views and experience,
Secure feedback on the implementation of most recent legal reforms and enactments
“The Judicial officers will also use this opportunity to discuss strategies on how to blend the formal justice system with alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, draw insights on how to solve case backlog,”
