Judicial Independence & Impartiality: Which Way For Uganda

Judicial and legal practice in Uganda have in the recent past been engaged in the question of judicial independence and judicial impartiality, with varying schools of thought advanced by the different players.
Uganda has registered a number of incidents that have provoke debate on the level of judicial independence and impartiality. The 1st March 2007, infamous ‘Black Mamba’ incident at the High Court in Kampala, is one of such incidents when, after suspected rebels of the Peoples’ Redemption Army (PRA) had been granted bail, a band of armed men, dressed in black cordoned off the Court and stopped the release of the suspects in spite the Court order. Then, on 10th August 2016, a group of vigilantes was mobilized and it stormed Makindye Chief Magistrates Court to frustrate attempts to initiate a private prosecution of the then Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura and other seven police officers for alleged acts of torture. Court sieges is one, but of many. Also on record are pronouncements from the Executive and Legislature that have gone to the root of questioning the authority of the judiciary on some matters and disregard of decisions coming out of the courts.  Click here for more details