The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) under their Insolvency & Receivership mandate today unveiled a week-long training for Judicial Officers. The training was officially opened by the Principal Judge, Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija and addressed by the Registrar General, Mercy Kainobwisho.
The training workshop will be held at the Speke Resort Munyonyo from Monday 03rd May, 2021 to Friday, 07th May 2021 and will be facilitated by top members of the judiciary including Hon. Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Hon. Justice Musa Sekaana, Her Ladyship Justice Patricia Basaza-Wasswa, Justice Alastair Norris and Hon. Lady Justice Damalie Lwanga, Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute.
During the brief welcome remarks, Justice Zeija reminded participants that the training was not meant to reinvent the wheel but rather to support the judges in their role as dispensers of the law especially on the insolvency practice in the era of COVID-19 that is seeing a number of businesses and individuals at the edge of being declared insolvent as result of the impact of the pandemic.
‘It is our responsibility as the judiciary to hear all insolvency matters. But, this we can only do with sufficient knowledge on the practice. The training being offered by URSB is timely and I ask that we participate keenly in order for us to be able to make decisions considered fit under the Insolvency law’ Justice Zeija told the participants
The focus of the training will be to improve the quality and accuracy of court documents on insolvency and to achieve this, participants will be heavily engaged in enlightening sessions over the next 5 days. Emphasis will be placed on the salient features of Insolvency Law in Uganda, the roles of Judicial Officers in preservation of value of the Insolvent Estate, countering abuse of Insolvency Processes, open discussions on the challenges facing Judicial Officers in resolving insolvency disputes and communication and cooperation in cross border insolvency, as well as experiences and best practices.
The Registrar General, Mercy Kainobwisho who is also the Official Receiver said the training was timely since the COVID-19 pandemic had threatened the existence of businesses.
‘It is our role to establish a fair insolvency system which strengthens the business sector by offering confidence to investors and the public to make viable decisions that support economic growth. As URSB, our focus is on rescuing insolvent companies and individuals by encouraging them to adopt business rescue mechanisms’ Kainobwisho added.
URSB is mandated among others to register businesses, marriages, Intellectual Property, administer insolvent companies and run the Security Interest in Movable Property Registry System (SIMPO). The Minister of Justice & Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu will deliver the closing remarks on Friday as the training comes to a close.