Okidi Patrick, Lira – Lira High Court resident judge has told the people of the Lango sub-region at Lira High Court to put away the lies and not to focus only on the negatives when judiciary staff have done right. He emphasized that they should also learn to appreciate them for work well done.
Justice Duncan Gaswaga presided over the High Court Open Day held on the 6th of June, 2024, at the Lira Court Circuit.
The Lira Resident City Commissioner, Lawrence Emmy Egole, has appealed to the judiciary that the Lango sub-region urgently requires another resident judge because of the case backlog. He said free engagement between the community and the judiciary should be emphasized always as a way of fostering good coordination.
“Therefore, the move to get the community and the local leaders to participate in such open discussions will make the community understand their roles,” said RCC Egole. He commended the judiciary for good coordination with the security in the Lango sub-region.
“If we can handle our issues via cultural leaders and not only through the court, it is another good way of handling conflict among community members in the Lango sub-region,” said Egole. He added, “We have one chief magistrate here and only one resident judge within; hence there is a need for more manpower.”
“I have over 3000 cases before me and I have to balance between civil and criminal cases and attend to Kwoyelot court in Gulu High Court Circuit,” said Justice Duncan Gaswaga. He added that they have a very good working relationship with many institutions, including the district chain links committee.
Meanwhile, a prominent Lira resident, identified as Ojuka Anthony, appreciated the current judiciary team for doing commendable work, noting there is less corruption under the new leadership of His Worship the Chief Magistrate, Lira High Court Judge Duncan, and good counsel like Egaru Emmanuel Omiat, among others.
Lawyer Egaru Emmanuel Omiat of Egaru and Co-Advocate, who spoke on behalf of the Uganda Law Society, was congratulated and praised by many people in the gathering as a very hardworking and transparent lawyer/counsel who ethically knows what to do as per his working mandate.
However, Kwania Magistrate Grade One has come under scrutiny as he was openly and publicly accused by a clan leader, Inomo Awitong Bosco Olulung, commonly known as Acan-Adiro, for being unfair to many people who attend court. Without mentioning names, Olulung accused the Kwania Magistrate of operating outside the magistrate’s act and being very rude and unbecoming to court clients and even the lawyers/counsel.
He urged top management in the judiciary, especially the Judicial Service Commission, to transfer the Kwania Grade One Magistrate quickly to another district, citing a lot of bad public relations and mismanagement of cases.
In another twist of events, one of the court staff was accused of asking for a bribe of ten million shillings from an innocent person who needed court service. The name was concealed as the Chief Magistrate was tasked to investigate the issue and report to higher judiciary authorities.
Over 300 people attended the Lira High Court Open Day, with many complaining about the delay in land case judgments, missing case files, and complaints about the police flying squad unit in Lira.
The Lira LCV Chairman complained that there are some well-dressed people within court premises who are not judiciary staff but are claiming money from people, saying they have been sent by high court profile staff. He stressed that this issue should be addressed so that it does not tarnish the reputation of the good court staff.
