Road to be named in honour of Justice Aweri

At 2:15pm, the hearse carrying the remains of Supreme Court Judge Rubby Aweri Opio was ushered into the chambers of Parliament for special tribute by legislators, who unanimously resolved that a road and library be named after him.

The proposal to name a road as raised by Mawokota South MP Yusuf Nsibambi was first limited to his district of birth, but later amended to be anywhere in the country as legislators argued he had served the whole nation.

Parliament also adopted a proposal by Mr Tony Ayoo (Kwania County) for the government to construct a modern library at Lango College, his former school, in his honour.  Mr Ayoo said Justice Aweri had started to mobilise resources for the cause.

These were amendments to a motion moved by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to pay tribute to a man described as judicial officer par excellence since he passed on December 7 at Mulago National Referral Hospital. He was 69.

His body will lie in state before it is flown to his ancestral home in Acungapenyi cell, Agwata Town Council, Dokolo District for burial on Friday.

Humble start

Ms Nabbanja hailed Justice Aweri, a career judicial officer who joined the Judiciary in 1983 as a grade one magistrate and rose through the ranks up to the highest court, for his contribution to strengthening judicial independence.

“Aweri had an impeccable career as a judicial officer and served the bench with boundless dedication, utmost humility and commitment for nearly four decades,” Ms Nabbanja said

“We must work for humanity and you must leave societies better than you found them, and we are glad that today the person lying before us here has left society, Judiciary better than he found it. He has left a good legacy,” Speaker of Parliament Anita Among said.

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, who seconded the motion, said Justice Aweri served with dedication, adding that he had very little case backlog, terming his service as exceptional.

Mr Mpuuga also cited loopholes in the Judiciary that hamstring the dispensation of justice. Key among them, he said, is state interference, citing the rearrests of suspects released by court, siege or attack of courts by security personnel.

With the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo present in the public gallery, the LoP expressed his dissatisfaction at how the Judiciary has handled the cases of MPs Mohammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana, who have been incarcerated for more than a year.

“The only way we can honour the gentleman, a servant of this country, is to rise up to the occasion and perform better, much more than he did. We are more equipped than his generation to perform better,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Medard Ssegona (Busiro East) tasked the Judiciary to rise to the occasion and play their part in ending the current state of enforced disappearances and abuses.

“When we speak about the dead, we are talking to the living. We are speaking to the living not only in the Judiciary but in all our institutions. Do the right thing. He has died at a time we are grappling with abductions and human rights abuses and it is a fact and there is no one to address it other than the Judiciary.  In paying tribute to this gentleman, the only way he can be rewarded is by doing the right thing at the right time,” he said.

What others said

Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Nobert Mao said the late judge will be remembered for his stance against corruption in the Judiciary when he was chief inspector of courts, a position he held from 2017 to his death. Mr Abdu Katuntu (Bugweri) hailed the justice for mentoring young legal professionals. Mr Katuntu also disagreed with the appointment of judges from outside the Judiciary.

“When you have someone apply for a job of grade one magistrate, his ultimate dream is to become a judge of the Supreme Court...these days some of these people are not given the opportunity because there are other people who come from outside the Judiciary and are appointed judges. The dream of the young people is killed. They should rise from the bottom to the top,” Mr Katuntu said. Mr Obiga Kania, minister of State for Urban Development, said: “The virtue of humility. Many have spoken about it but many of us leaders will leave them here. We will not go out to practice. That is not a fair tribute.”Lango Parliamentary Group chairperson Judith Alyek (Kole Woman) said Aweri’s rise through the ranks was a measure of hard work and persistence. Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal recounted his support to families during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown that reflected his empathy and generosity.

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