The Chief Justice emeritus, Bart Magunda Katureebe, has appealed to judicial officers to stop embarrassing court users if they are to dispense effective justice.
Katureebe noted that most of the court users especially lawyers always get embarrassed over small matters and you find that it affects them from getting justice yet they can be corrected.
He gave this counsel on Friday night during a farewell dinner at the Official Residence of the Chief Justice in Nakasero, which he handed over to his successor Alfonse Owiny-Dollo.
Justice Katureebe cited an example when he was a State Attorney and given a case to argue when he didn’t know very well it’s facts. But on the same day the Chief Magistrate adjourned court on grounds that the “court was tired and couldn’t listen to him”.
With laughter as he shared, the CJ Emeritus narrated how he objected to the adjournment wondering how “the court” gets tired and realised that the Judicial Officers were not working in the afternoons.
As such, the chief magistrate (now deceased) held Katureebe in the dock for two hours before asking him to proceed later on. But Katureebe who retired to look after his goats reportedly refused to proceed again since he had been embarrassed.
On his part, the new Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo agreed with Katureebe that Judicial Officers can be in charge of their courts with humility but not embarrassing the court users.
Owiny-Dollo appreciated the retired Chief Justice for his achievements more so the Administration of Judiciary Act which according to him made the Judiciary’s plate full.
The Chief Justice added that he (Dollo) may spend his leadership without making a significant change like that equivalent to the enactment of the Act which empowers the Judiciary to be as independent as the rest of the two arms of the government.
The function that was attended by several dignitaries especially from the Justice Law and Order Sector closed with a number of gifts being offered to the Chief Justice emeritus for his exemplary leadership.
Justice Katureebe retired on June 20 2020 after clocking 70 years, the mandatory age of retirement for Supreme Court Justices.
