Buteera tasks Court of Appeal, Supreme Court Judges on teamwork, respect

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |The Deputy Chief Justice, Richard Butera has called for teamwork and unity among the Court of Appeal and Supreme Judges.

Speaking at the closure of the induction and retreat for judges of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court on Friday, Buteera said that it was important that each of the judges took care of each other’s emotions as they went on with their work, even if disagreed.

“As we play our roles we should be sensitive to the needs, challenges, and feelings of our colleagues. They are human like us. We should always ensure that the manner in which we execute our functions promotes cordiality and collegiality. Respecting supervisors and colleagues creates a harmony that in turn promotes the mutual exchange of ideas that translates into a peaceful working environment,” Buteera said.

On the issue of case backlog, Buteera said that the public was anxious to receive their service and in a timely manner while avoiding the accumulation of backlog.

Delays in case management and backlog have been a year-in-year-out song but while opening the retreat on Monday, Dollo expressed hope that this would be solved with more resources that were now flowing to the department, including funds and appointment of more judges and magistrates.

Buteera said that with more resources coming to the judicial department, there was no more burying of heads in the sand but account to the public.

“With now improved remuneration and human resource, we cannot bury our heads under judicial independence to avoid accountability on how we perform our duties. I call upon all of us to strive to be accountable as it’s one of the core values of this institution.”

He said the High Court and lower courts looked to them as role models and mentors and therefore their actions “inside and outside of court should attract respect and acceptance from the public.

The induction was organized after the newly appointed judges had already started service, due to lack of funds at the time they were sworn in. Buteera called on the new judges to always abide by the principles of “independence, impartiality, integrity, propriety, equality, competence and diligence.”

Facilitators included Prof Joel Ngugi, director of the Kenyan Judicial Training Institute, retired Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine, and retired Justice David Wangutusi.

It was organized by the JTI and funded by the International Development Law Organization IDLO, an intergovernmental organization that helps member states to contribute to peace and democracy by improving justice delivery.

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