Registrars concerned about growing disrespect from fellow judicial officers

Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Court registrars have raised concern about the lack of respect from their fellow judicial officers at their respective stations. They conveyed these concerns through Chief Registrar Sarah Langa Siu during an ongoing four-day induction for recently appointed registrars, deputies, and assistant registrars at Collin Hotel in Mukono.

The Chief Registrar pointed out that some judicial officers, particularly research magistrates in various high court circuits, appear to prioritize assignments from judges over those given by registrars. “From the earlier discussions I have had with my team, judicial officers especially the research magistrates tend to only associate with the judges rather than the registrars, they don’t attend their meetings, sign in attendance books, and submit monthly reports to them,” he said.

Registrars are tasked with directly supervising and coordinating the functioning of the Courts of Judicature to ensure the delivery of justice in line with the Judiciary’s mission. In response to these concerns, Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo emphasized that registrars should take full responsibility for their jurisdiction, invest adequate time and interest to ensure the smooth operation of their duties and make research magistrates accountable to them for administrative matters.

“Unless the research magistrate is responding to legal opinion, it goes directly to the judge, for any other administrative matter the researcher directly answers to the registrar,” the Chief Justice emphasized. Principal Judge Dr. Flavian Zeija appealed to registrars to uphold the principles outlined in the Judicial Code of Conduct both in their judicial duties and personal lives, striving for excellence.” The induction, which started on Monday and is expected to conclude on Thursday, includes 46 registrars, deputies, and assistant registrars appointed in the current and previous years.

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