The Resident Judge of the Patongo High Court Circuit, Justice George Okello, has called on justice sector stakeholders to strengthen the implementation of Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to promote faster case disposal and improve access to justice.
Justice Okello made the appeal during the Court’s fourth quarter Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) meeting held on July 10, which brought together justice sector stakeholders from Abim, Otuke, Pader and Agago districts to review court performance, address emerging challenges and strengthen collaboration in the administration of justice.
The meeting, moderated by Acting Assistant Registrar Betty Ajok, attracted representatives from the Judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Uganda Prisons Service, Uganda Police Force, local governments and other justice sector institutions.
In his remarks, Justice Okello emphasized the importance of embracing ADR and AJS as complementary mechanisms to the formal justice system. He said the approaches offer quicker, less adversarial and more cost-effective ways of resolving disputes while reducing the burden on the courts.
Stakeholders also highlighted the positive impact of the operationalisation of the Patongo High Court Circuit on the administration of justice in the region.
Officer Awio Petersonic, representing the Officer in Charge of Otuke Prison, noted that before the establishment of the High Court, the region had gone for more than two years without a criminal session, resulting in prolonged detention of suspects on remand.
He said the High Court has significantly improved criminal justice, revealing that prisons in the region now have more convicted inmates than remand prisoners for the first time, reflecting improved case disposal.
Meanwhile, the Chief Administrative Officer of Pader District, Catherine Among, appealed to the Regional Coordination Committee to engage the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to deploy more State Attorneys to the Patongo Circuit.
She said the few prosecutors currently serving the region are overstretched and unable to effectively manage the increasing caseload, stressing that additional staffing would further enhance timely prosecution and access to justice.
