Authorities in Kabale District have expressed growing concerns about the increasing prevalence of corruption among court clerks, which is compromising the delivery of justice to the people of Uganda.
During the recent Kabale High Court open day, held at the court premises in Kabale Municipality, the issue of corruption was brought to attention by Andrew Ronald Bakak, the Deputy Resident Commissioner. The event, with the theme "Enhancing Judicial Accountability and Access to Justice," provided a platform to address these concerns.
Bakak revealed cases where court clerks engaged in corrupt practices by withholding clients' files in an attempt to extort bribes. He cited a specific incident where a suspect, who had sought assistance from his office, was remanded to Ndorwa Government Prison. However, each time the suspect appeared in court, his file mysteriously went missing. Bakak emphasized that such actions result in the denial of justice to Ugandans and called for condemnation of these practices.
Justice Samuel Emokor, a Judge at Kabale High Court, shed light on the judicial landscape by disclosing that there are currently 587 pending cases across all categories at the high court level, with 166 of them classified as backlogs. To address this issue, Justice Emokor outlined the efforts made by the court and advocates to enforce the mandatory filing of mediation summaries alongside normal pleadings.
In response to the raised concerns, the Chief Guest at the event, Honorable Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, who is the Principal Judge of the high court of Uganda, attributed the rise in corruption among court clerks to the public's failure to report corrupt officials within the Judiciary.
The situation demands collaborative efforts to combat corruption within the judicial system and ensure the fair and efficient delivery of justice to all citizens.
Source: The Source Reports
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