The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has called upon the judiciary to respect Parliament for it to execute its mandate effectively.
Kadaga said the judiciary has in the recent past made attempts to encroach on the powers of Parliament, citing a situation when court directed her to adjourn the House and attend a court sitting.
She noted “a situation where a court directs the Speaker in session to close Parliament and come to attend court session is incredible. I cannot imagine a situation where a Committee of my House which has powers of a High Court can direct any single judge to stop work and come to attend a committee of Parliament”
The Speaker made made these remarks at the the opening of the new Law year, Monday, 29th January 2018 at the High court.
Kadaga cited the Parliament Powers and Privileges Act of 1995,Section 4 which provides that ‘no process issued by the any court in Uganda in exercise of its civil jurisdiction shall be served or effected into the precincts of Parliament by Parliament sitting, through the Speaker or Clerk to Parliament’.
Kadaga on the other hand commended the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs for pushing for recruitment of more judicial officers saying that this resolution was made by the house more than 15 years ago but has never been effected.
She further commended the ministry’s efforts in advocating for increased magisterial areas saying that the creation of new districts warrants increased judicial services.
She gave an example of her current visit in Maracha district where by to access justice one must travel to Koboko and Arua districts.
The Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, reiterated that the judiciary has no interest in interfering with internal working of Parliament, but when a petition is made lawfully, the judiciary has an obligation to judiciously consider the allegations and make appropriate orders.
Katureebe appealed to government to increase the Judiciary development budget stating that they incur high costs citing the shs10 billion spent annually on rent.
He further explained that the Judiciary needs increased funding to implement a robust case backlog reduction strategy and ICT strategy.
The Deputy Attorney General Hon. Mwesigwa Rukutana revealed that Cabinet has approved the Administration of Justice Bill which is awaiting presentation to Parliament.
The Bill contains clauses which entail benefits for all judicial officers which has been a contentious issue over time.
The Speaker promised to place the Bill on Order Paper for consideration as soon as she receives it.
Source: Parliamentary News