Fort Portal– The Court of Appeal team conducting a regional session in Fort Portal yesterday evening hosted a stakeholders’ barbecue dinner at Nyaika Hotel to congratulate the Deputy Chief Justice, Justice Moses Kazibwe Kawumi, upon his appointment and engage justice sector actors on issues affecting justice delivery in the region.
The dinner brought together Justices of the Court of Appeal handling the session, namely Lady Justice Eva Luswata, Justice John Mike Musisi and Justice Musa Ssekaana, as well as Justice Vincent Emmy Mugabo, Head of the Fort Portal High Court Circuit, and Justice Vincent Wagona, Resident Judge, Fort Portal.
Also in attendance were HW Rukundo Allen Owembabazi, Registrar of the Court of Appeal; HW Natukunda Janeva, Deputy Registrar of the Court of Appeal; HW Matenga Dawa Francis, Deputy Registrar, Fort Portal; HW Mulalira Faisal Umar, Private Legal Secretary to the Deputy Chief Justice; HW Brian Mwanja, Personal Assistant to the Deputy Chief Justice
Others who attended were; Magistrates attached to the Court of Appeal and the Fort Portal High Court Circuit, support staff, advocates, representatives from the Uganda Police Force, the Attorney General’s Chambers, district leaders and other justice sector stakeholders.
In his welcoming remarks, the Deputy Chief Justice stated,that the Court of Appeal’s presence in Fort Portal was intended to take appellate services closer to the people. He urged stakeholders to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, particularly mediation and plea bargaining, as tools for reducing case backlog and easing the burden on litigants and justice institutions.
He pledged that the Court of Appeal would continue holding regional sessions as long as resources permit and called for sustained cooperation between stakeholders and the Judiciary in advancing access to justice.
Lady Justice Eva Luswata, who is heading the panel handling the session, thanked stakeholders for the warm reception accorded to the Court of Appeal team and congratulated the Deputy Chief Justice on his appointment.
She observed that regional sessions are part of the Court of Appeal’s broader strategy to decentralize services and improve access to justice by minimizing the need for advocates and litigants to travel to Kampala.
She also welcomed the growth in the number of advocates practicing in Fort Portal, noting that during her tenure at the Law Council there were only a few advocates in the area, compared to the current number of about 40.
Justice Vincent Mugabo welcomed the visiting justices and noted that some of the appeals scheduled for hearing date back to 2018, adding that the session would provide long-awaited justice to litigants.
He congratulated the Deputy Chief Justice on his appointment and commended his humility and support, recalling the assistance he received during his deployment to Fort Portal.
“I know that the humility you exhibit will lead you further and make you lead us very well,” Justice Mugabo said.
Representing the Attorney General’s Chambers, Ms Anne Tusiime, Regional Head of the Attorney General’s Chambers in Fort Portal, welcomed the regional session, saying it had significantly reduced the burden on litigants and government lawyers who previously had to travel to Kampala for appellate matters.
“Our clients really struggle travelling to Kampala, but when these sessions come here, they greatly simplify things for us,” she noted.
The Deputy Resident City Commissioner for Fort Portal North, Mr Henry Kitambula, commended Judiciary initiatives such as the Small Claims Procedure and ADR mechanisms for helping to reduce case backlog. He also hailed ongoing efforts to combat corruption within the Judiciary and called for increased public sensitization on court processes and procedures.
