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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Judiciary has launched the small claims procedure court in Kaberamaido district.
Under the system, a complainant can get judgment within a day although the maximum period for delivering judgment is a month. This is opposed to the old system that can even last for five years or more.
The ‘Small Claims Procedure’ doesn’t involve the use of lawyers, which cuts the costs of the suit.
The process is limited to 30 working days for the siting magistrate to conclude with the case and individuals involved are at liberty to speak the local language.
According to the Communications Officer for the Judiciary, Deo Akugizibwe, the launch in Kaberamaido is intended to reduce case backlog of civil cases in the judiciary. He says Kaberamaido is the 67th district in Uganda to launch the Small Claim Procedure court since it was rolled out in 2012.
Akugizibwe says the Small Claim Procedure is expected to help the last court user to access justice within their reach. Other districts in Teso that have had the program include Ngora, Kumi and Bukedea.
The Grade One Magistrate for Kabermaido, Geoffrey Akena said that hearing of Small Claim Procedure cases will commence as soon as he receives them.
The LCV Chairperson Kaberamaido, John Willy Egwau said the program was timely for his district where people sometimes take the law into their hands when demanding for debts.
He requested the judiciary to extend such programs to cases of land as well since they are causing death among the community. He observed that that land cases take years without being hard, sometimes forcing locals to opt for other means in resolving them.
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