President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has hailed Chief Justice Emeritus Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo for what he described as corruption-free leadership and bold reforms that helped strengthen Uganda’s Judiciary, particularly through the expansion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
The President made the remarks on Saturday while presiding over a grand homecoming celebration for the retired Chief Justice at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City. The event was attended by Judiciary leaders, government officials and hundreds of residents from across the Acholi sub-region.
Justice Owiny-Dollo retired on January 18 after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70, bringing to an end his five-year tenure as Chief Justice.
President Museveni said that although he frequently receives reports about corruption within the Judiciary, Owiny-Dollo’s name has never been mentioned in such allegations.
“During the time I have worked with him, I can testify to three qualities. The first one is that I have never heard any story of personal corruption involving him in the Judiciary,” the President said.
“I normally get stories that there is still corruption in the Judiciary, but I have never heard his name associated with any of them.”
The President also credited the Chief Justice Emeritus for advancing Alternative Dispute Resolution, a system that provides mechanisms for settling disputes outside the formal court process.
“I have been talking about Alternative Dispute Resolution for a long time, but no one in the Judiciary was picking it up until his Lordship Owiny-Dollo came and embraced it,” President Museveni said.
He also welcomed the retired Chief Justice’s post-retirement focus on mobilising communities to engage in commercial agriculture, noting that the initiative aligns with the government’s long-standing policy of empowering citizens through mass participation in agriculture.
“I’m very glad for Hon. Owiny-Dollo to be in agreement with what we have been preaching about for a long time,” the President said, pointing to programmes such as the Parish Development Model aimed at supporting small-scale farmers.
