Magistrate who knelt as PWD councillor took oath speaks out
Kitgum Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Akullo Ogwal kneels while administering the oath of office and allegiance to a PWD councillor in Kitgum Municipality last week. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
In her career spanning more than 10 years, Magistrate Akullo Ogwal has disposed of about 5,000 cases, working in all the regions of Uganda. She began her judicial career in 2009 as a Grade One Magistrate and was promoted to Chief Magistrate in 2018. She has worked in magisterial areas of Buliisa, Masindi, Kitgum and Pader.
Last week, a picture of Kitgum Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Akullo Ogwal kneeling while administering an oath of allegiance to a councillor with disability made rounds on social media platforms.
To many, it was a rare show of humility. But in an interview, Ms Akullo said the gesture was aimed at making the sub-county councillor, Ms Ketty Aketo, feel comfortable as she took oath.
Ms Aketo is the councillor for PWDs in Pager Division, Kitgum Municipality.
“I have received so many calls to that effect with people asking what kind of magistrate I am on grounds that they have heard that judicial officers don’t associate with the general public,” a soft spoken Akullo said in a telephone interview yesterday.
“I told them that I did what was good to make her comfortable and also to accord everybody equal opportunity by lifting their spirits,” she added.
Narrating the events leading to the widely appreciated kind gesture, the jurist said she was on annual leave when she was called to help in administering the oaths of allegiance to the councillors.
Ms Akullo, a survivor of the Lord Resistance Army abduction, adds that of the councillors to be sworn-in that day, three had physical impairments.
“When the turn for this lady councillor came, she came crawling. Both her legs were crippled. I got concerned and I directed that they get her a chair,” the magistrate explained.
She added: “I said instead of standing above her to guide her in administering the oath, I said to myself that it’s good manners to kneel down so that she could read the oath with ease and that is what I did. And she was able to take oath comfortably. She was so grateful for the kind gesture.”
About the other two councillors with physical impairment, the judicial officer explained that one of them was deaf and dumb and was helped through a language interpreter while the other had a hand impairment.
The Judiciary has since applauded Ms Akullo for the gesture. “We congratulate her; that is an expression that judicial power is derived from the people, which is stated in Article 126 of the Constitution. Judicial officers exercise judicial power on behalf of the people and we would like to encourage others to borrow a leaf,” Mr Jamson Karemani, the Judiciary spokesperson, said yesterday by telephone.
When this newspaper contacted Ms Aketo last evening, she said: “I felt so good about the kind gesture from the Chief Magistrate; she is a person of high dignity to kneel down before me a person with disabilities. I also felt that she honoured people with disabilities.”
