SV: {UAH} Judges to Museveni: take us more seriously

ALLAN,

Hell no, they have to discontinue those who are in serious debts. Direct! They are a threat! 

 Perhaps that is why the judiciary harvests so much corruption?. I see a lot of senses in the Presidents response. Very interesting to get back to. 

But those funny "introduction" bullcrap don't need to be regulated by Law or prohibited, though.

Noc'la gaumoy 

"WE FORM THE CULTURE THAT FORMS US"….noc'la gaumoy.

Judges to Museveni: take us more seriously

Written by Derrick Kiyonga

 Last Updated: 04 September 2015

 

Chief Justice Bart Katureebe (L) & President Museveni

A meeting between President Museveni and judges on Wednesday was dominated by discussions about their individual welfare and the financial predicament of the judiciary, which they complained is not taken very seriously.

The meeting, which took place at State House Entebbe, according to our source, began with Chief Justice Bart Katureebe updating the president on the current status of the judiciary.

Justice Katureebe reportedly told the president that the judiciary, one of the three arms of the state, is not taken seriously when it comes to allocation of resources.   But if Justice Katureebe focused on the institution, High court judge Jane Kiggundu highlighted personal financial challenges facing judges many of whom, she said, are saddled with debts.

"Several judges are in debts. Others are sick and they cannot pay for their hospital bill. We need your help…," Justice Kiggundu said, according to our insider source.    
"We need your intervention by increasing our salaries," she added, attracting loud boos from her fellow judges.

In 2013, at the burial of her husband Patrick Kiggundu, a former MP for Kyotera,Justice Kiggundu thanked President Museveni for giving her a job as a judge.

"When I met the president I told him that with a meagre salary, I couldn't look after Patrick's children and he asked me what he could do for me,and I asked him for something within my line and he gave me a job," Justice Kiggundu said then.

In response to Justice Kiggundu's latest remarks, PresidentMusevenisaid he would push fora ban on fundraisers. He said fundraisers have saddled Ugandans with debt.

"We should make a law against this fundraising. It's a very big distortion. Some of these fundraisings are just meaningless we need sense. How can we have fundraising for weddings,introductions, graduations?" Museveni asked.

According to Museveni, fundraisers should be stopped because they fuel corruption in society.

"MPs are debt-ridden and they have been running to me, now judges are also debt-ridden because they want to fix their problems using their salaries.  That's the biggest mistake you people make," he said.

"This thing [fundraising] must be stopped. Politicians are put under pressure they are harassed to give money yet they don't have the money. Grants should only be given where there is needto,"Museveni said.

A reportedly-jovial Museveni took a cynical swipe at civil servants who he said are only interested in drawing big salaries but not working.

"Look at me between 1986 and1996 I was earning Shs 150,000 but it was those people [civil servants] who persuaded me to take an increase to Shs 3.6m[which I earn up to date] because they were fearing a backlash from the public," Museveni said.

In reply toMuseveni's casual suggestion that he takes thejudiciary "seriously," SupremecourtJustice Jotham Tumwesigye wondered why the judiciary, one of the three arms of government, is placed under the Justice Law and Sector(JLSO)and the entire JLSO given a "miserable" annual budget of Shs 393bn.

"Parliament has its own budget; even the executive has its own budget. But the judiciary is under the JLOS. Why is thisthe case?" he asked.

President Museveni talking to judges at State House

Tumwesigye, supported by fellow Supreme court judge Esther Kisaakye, put it to Museveni that he doesn't take the judiciary seriously as he claims since he never mentioned the judiciary in his latest state-of-the-nation address. In response, Museveni blamed "people in the Treasury" who he said don't listen to his orders in respect to the judiciary.

"I am always preoccupied with security and economic matters, others can come later. But even the orders I normally give to the Treasuryare ignored," he said.  
Museveni invited Finance minister Matia Kasaija to explain his plans for the judiciary.

Kasaija first apologised to the more than 80 judges at the meeting. He conceded the judiciary is perennially financially marginalised. The minister promisedthat there is money now to build institutional houses for all judges, a health assurance plan for all judicial officers and laptops for all judges.

INCREASE IN SALARIES

Court of Appeal judge Augustine Nshimye asked Museveni to increase the salaries of the chief justice, deputy chief justice and the principaljudge. He said currently they almost earn the same salary as other ordinary judges who get Shs 9m. Nshimye said the chief justices of Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda get more money than their Ugandan counterpart.

Without hesitation, Museveni directed Kasaija to increase the salary of the chief justice who earns Shs 11.5m, deputy chief justice (Shs 11m) and the Principal Judge (Shs 10m).

"These are very few people whose salary must be increased. I normally have a problem with increasing the salary of policemen and teachers because they are many and that can have an impact on the budget," he said. 

The president also directed Kasaija to provide cars to all magistrates in the next national budget. Currently, magistrates use their own cars to do judicial work and government buys the fuel.

"You can get simple cars which are not costly," he ordered."It can be Suzukis or Isuzus. Each of them [magistrates] must receive [them]."

dkiyonga@observer.ug

Den lördag, 5 september 2015 4:19 skrev Allan <barigye.rugos@gmail.com>:

http://www.observer.ug/news-headlines/39673-judges-to-museveni-take-us-more-seriously

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