Resident Judge of the High Court, Kitgum Circuit, Hon. Justice Philip Willebrord Mwaka, has reaffirmed the Judiciary's zero-tolerance policy on corruption, vowing that no wrongdoing will go unpunished.
He was speaking as Guest of Honour at the inaugural Lamwo Magistrates Court Open Day, yesterday held at the Palabek Kal Town Council grounds under the theme "Bringing Justice Closer to Refugees and the Host Communities."
Justice Mwaka emphasized that the Judiciary is working to expand and operationalize new magisterial areas to take justice closer to the people. While calling for patience from communities as these efforts roll out, he urged judicial officers, local council courts, and the public to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an effective tool to reduce case backlog and promote timely justice.
Turning to land disputes, are curring challenge in Lamwo, Justice Mwaka stressed the importance of preliminary surveys to clearly identify all rightful parties in contested land, particularly in cases involving customary tenure. He explained that this approach would prevent speculative claims and ensure that adjudication is base don verifiable facts.
To build confidence, the Judge shared performance figures, disclosing that the Kitgum High Court Circuit had disposed of 546 cases by the end of August 2025. He urged the public to draw reassurance from these statistics, which he described as proof that the courts are effectively delivering justice.
Earlier, host magistrate HW Ola Gabriel provided a snapshot of the court’s caseload, reporting 166 active cases, 28 capital, 103 criminal, and 35 civil, as of October 5, 2025. He noted progress in reducing a backlog of more than 200 cases he inherited in January, while cautioning that new filings continue to flow in steadily. HW Ola credited stronger police professionalism, highlighting their avoidance of suspect torture, and called for greater reliance on ADR.
Deputy Registrar HW Suzanne Aisia Musooli underscored the Open Day's goal of fostering transparency. She reminded the public that all official court fees are fixed by law and payable only through banks, urging them to reject any demands for unofficial payments. She further encouraged citizens to voice concerns openly, whether verbally or inwriting.
The event drew broad participation from Lamwo's justice sector stakeholders, including the District Police Commander ASP Nuwagaba Ivan, Prisons Officer-in-Charge Ocaya Francis, CID Head Kaakyo Doreen, the LC III Chairperson of Palabek Kal Town Council, civic leaders, and residents. They commended the Judiciary and ODPP for deploying a permanent Magistrate Grade One and State Attorney to the district, an improvement from the earlier part-time arrangements in Kitgum.
Stakeholders appealed for additional Magistrates Courts in Lamwo, citing long distances of up to 50 kilometers for some communities, and lauded the mobile court initiative as a critical lifeline. In a demonstration of local commitment, political leaders announced the donation of land to the Judiciary and ODPP for the construction of court halls, offices, and residences.
The event concluded with a lively public dialogue session, moderated by the Deputy Registrar, during which the Judge and his team directly addressed community concerns, further strengthening the bond between the courts and the people they serve.
Posted 16th, October 2025
