Chief Justice asks lazy judicial officers to quit 

The Chief Justice of Uganda Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has warned lazy judicial officers to quit if they are not willing to perform their duties in the existing environment.

He said negligence of duty has led to a case backlog whereby some cases take two years without being heard.

"You are the best paid civil servants in Uganda, there is no reason why you don't want to perform," Justice Owiny-Dolo said during the induction training of the newly appointed chief magistrates in Mukono Tuesday.

He noted that if they are not willing to perform in the existing environment then the exit door is open because there are so many others willing to work under the same circumstances.

Justice Owiny-Dolo said that each district will get a chief magistrate since the budget was increased.

He also warned the judicial officers against taking bribes and engaging in other forms of corruption, saying that these tarnish the name of the Judiciary as a whole.

The Principal Judge Dr Flavian Zeija noted that corruption in the judiciary manifests during the bail process, writing judgments, and during taxation of bills of costs.

“I have received complaints of judicial officers asking for money to grant bail, and grant bail with simple or harsh conditions depending on the interests of the litigants extending the bribe,” he said, warning that all those judicial officers engaged in corruption tendencies will be brought to book.

Dr Zeija said will not tolerate absenteeism as he will be visiting different courts without notifying them to check on their performance and the working environment.

"I have visited some courts including Amolator District and found out that magistrates take months without appearing in court. I found cobwebs in the magistrates’ chairs and bush all over the offices," he said.

However, some of the chief Magistrates complained of the poor working environment and lack of allowances.