The deputy Chief Justice Hon. Richard Buteera revealed plans of establishing court premises at Bussi island, on Lake Victoria. Justice Buteera said this, during the Court open day which was held at Entebbe Magistrates court earlier this week.
According to Justice Buteera, the judiciary’s main aim is to enhance access to justice for all, across the divide of people in society in order to foster peaceful communities.
“With improved human manpower of Magistrate Grade ones spread across the country, coupled with cooperation of all justice actors, we shall realise our desired vision of justice for all,” noted Justice Buteera. Plans to construct the court premises are expected to commence in the next financial year.
Despite the short distance which takes one hour by boat, from Entebbe to Bussi, the island remains a hard-to-reach area where one has to sail through Mabamba wetland before reaching the mainland.
Charles Mukalazi, the Bussi sub-county chairperson said his council had earlier approved a plan to donate five acres of land for the construction of court premises. “But we later realised that we shall need police and prison as well, hence making it seven acres,” noted Mukalazi.
With 5,000 homesteads and a population of over 30,000 people, Bussi is predominantly a fishing community whereas other people are engaged in farming. Robert Kiggundu who carries out several outreaches at Bussi island said, crimes such as assault, domestic violence, theft and poor fishing methods among others are rampant on the island.
Justice Buteera implored other local authorities to donate land to the judiciary for construction of court premises and staff houses in order to improve access to justice. He as well discouraged judicial officers from scheduling unplanned multiple trials that result into unnecessary adjournments, causing frustration among the court users.
Court open day
Meanwhile, the court open day is an opportunity for justice service providers to freely interact with court users and consumers of the justice service with a purpose of identifying the bottlenecks of justice delivery and agree on the tailor-made solutions to such challenges.
Under a theme, ‘Strategies and the mechanisms for improving access to justice,’ Stella Maris Amabilis the Entebbe chief magistrate said, the court is prioritising disposal of older cases through implementation of the principle of ‘pass in, pass out’ of the cause listing.
She however, pointed out some of the challenges faced by Entebbe magistrates court among which include limited space where the premises have two court halls yet there are four magistrates. Several leaders led by Katabi town council chairperson Ronald Kalema attended the function.
Others included magistrates, judicial officers and the general public, who had an interaction on the operations of court.
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