The 20th Annual Judges Conference that will last a week has begun under the theme “AN INCLUSIVE JUDICIARY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”. The Conference brings together all Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal as well as High Court Judges and Registrars. President Yoweri Museveni officially opened the Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo. Chief Justice Bart Katureebe announced that the judiciary had reduced the case backlog by disposing of 175,000 cases but he called for better funding of the judicial resources, better remuneration for judicial officers and more personnel like Judges, Registrars, and Magistrates to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of Justice. “Nobody expects that all these needs can be answered in one year, we know there are other competitive needs. But in my humble view, the Justice needs of the community are not receiving the priority they deserve.” Said, Bart Katureebe – Chief Justice.

President Museveni explained his controversial stance in justifying the death penalty. He argued that scrapping the death sentence would plug the country into chaos. “For us in our societies, we believe in Lord Moses, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If you interfere with that you will see the instability you will cause here.” Said, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – President. The President repeated his earlier vow that he would start signing some of the death warrants that have been pending on his desk for decades. “In fact, it has been a mistake of not signing the death sentences, am now repenting completely.”

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire sought to explain what could have prompted the President to have a change of heart on the death penalty. Human rights activists however, argued that the death penalty was no deterrent to crime. “Where people invade innocent people and hack them to death for no cause. Honestly, people who do such things out to be removed from society completely.” Said, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire – Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs. “In 1999, after they had just executed the Ssebilumbi’s 28 of them, we still had cases of crime all over the city.” Said, Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana – Foundation for Human Rights Initiative. On the sidelines of the meeting, Chief Justice Bart Katureebe told journalists that the decision of sentencing someone to death is no longer mandatory but remains at the discretion of the trial Judge. “So the death sentence remained as a maximum available penalty that is as far as the Judiciary is concerned. In other words, the Judges still have the discretion of whether to grant the death penalty or not.”

On Thursday last week, President Museveni first made known his desire to review his position and sign death warrants for death row convicts while presiding over during the pass out ceremony of prison warders and wardresses at the Luzira Prison Academy. This attracted condemnation especially from members of the Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders.