Villagers should access justice - Dollo
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo (C) cuts the tape during the launch of High Court in Patongo in Agago District on May 12, 2025. PHOTO/ ANTHONY WESAKA
What you need to know:
- Patongo High Court is among the five recently operationalised high court circuits across the country in a bid to bring judicial services closer to the people.
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has said his passion is to see people in rural areas access justice. The head of the Judiciary reasoned that having grown up in the rural setting of Agago District in Northern Uganda, access to timely justice was a nightmare as the nearest high court was in Gulu, which is more than 160 kilometres away from them in Patongo.
"When I became Chief Justice, (I think I'm the first Chief Justice who is truly rural, who is a villager). We walked on foot to the school and on our way back, we would be hunting fruit, real village life," CJ Dollo said while launching the high court in Patongo in Agago District on May 12.
He added: "So my purpose was that these villagers who have nothing should be able to appear before a judicial officer." Justice Dollo gave an example of someone who lost a case, let's say in Kitgum, they had to appeal before the Gulu High Court, which is more 160 kilometers away.
"For example, someone could sell his or her animals to travel to Gulu, and they find that the judge is not there. Then, the case is fixed for next week, again, the judge is either sick or something, and you are told to return the following week. When you return the following week, your case file is among the last ones, and by the time your file is called, the judge says he is tired and can't handle your case. Because of the long distance to court, this person ends up selling up everything they own, and yet the matter is not determined. The case is won on two things: when the law is on your side or you produce good witnesses."
Patongo High Court is among the five recently operationalised high court circuits across the country in a bid to bring judicial services closer to the people. The other new high court circuits are: Wakiso, Kumi in Teso Sub-region, Lugazi, and Entebbe. Speaking at the same launch, various leaders applauded the commissioning of the high court at Patongo. Ms Betty Ajok, the acting registrar of the court who also doubles as the Chief Magistrate, said over the years, litigants used to walk over 150 miles in search of justice, say in Gulu, Kitgum, or Lira. "Now with a high court and magistrate court in the area, access to justice and judicial accountability is made possible," Registrar Ajok said.
She went ahead and listed several challenges that they face, including lack of an official vehicle to ease their movement in over five districts that the court covers.
"The chief magistrate and high court registrar don't have a vehicle. When I was preparing for this launch, which involves a lot of movement, (since I didn't have a car), I jumped onto a truck, which was the only available means of transport to Otuke. The truck, along the way, got stuck in a swamp. The driver ordered all of us out, even if you were wearing a suit like I was, to push. While pushing the truck, I became all dirty and cancelled the journey," she said.
She added: "I narrated the ordeal to my family, who surrendered their brand new car to me to use, but it is now spoilt due to bad roads. If these challenges can be addressed, I'm convinced that Patongo can be a model high court."
The chairperson of Agago District, Mr Leonard Opio, said the court generally plays a pivotal role in peacemaking in the area. He further said you cannot talk of development when there is no peace, which is usually brought about by the courts. "The physical presence of the high court will make the lawbreakers fear committing crimes. They even fear the physical courts than the judges," Mr Opio said.
He also called upon the judicial officers to expedite land cases since they are the common disputes in the area.
Mr James Kidega, the RDC of Agago District, said while the courts are being built, there is need to build prisons also, reasoning that the prisons in the neighbourhood were built long ago in the 1930s and that they are now dilapidated and small.
The area MP, Mr David Atuka Lagen, pledged his support to the judicial officers to fight corruption that he said has eaten up to the core of this country.
"I give my support to the judges to fight corruption, which has eaten the core of this country. That is my humble pledge to you," he said.
Head of the judiciary
President Museveni appointed Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo as the new chief justice in 2020, becoming the 13 chief justice since 1962 when Uganda got its independence.
He became famous for having presided over the trial of the Kampala twin bombings in which he convicted several suspects for being behind the killing of at least 76 football fans at Kyadondo Rugby Club and Ethiopian Village in Kabalagala.
He also led a panel of ‘five Justices to Mbale District, out of which four of them, upheld the scrapping of the age limit clauses from the Constitution by 317 MPs.
