By Jurugo Emmanuel Ogasto
The chairman of Moyo District local government, William Anyama is pursuing persons living with disabilities (PWD) to offer land for establishing High Court Circuit in the district.
He made the appeal during the recent Open Court Day in the district that was presided over by the Principal Judge of the Judiciary Service Commission.
He requested the Principal Judge to consider establishing a Second-High Court Circuit in Moyo district, in fulfilment of the recommendation of the leaders of West Nile Development Association-WENDA-to bring services of High Court nearer to the people of North West Nile region.
The North West Nile region comprises of; Adjumani, Moyo, Obongi and Yumbe districts respectively who are at a disadvantage of accessing the High Court in Arua City owing to the distance they are to trek in search of justice.
“People travel to other parts of Uganda to hear court cases especially high court using a lot of money for transport,” he said.
“Why can’t you establish it near here to avoid expenses,” asked.
The Principal Judge, Flavian Zeija in response accepted the request and told the chairman to offer land that is enough to accommodate both the High Court offices and the staff quarters.
He stated that the Judiciary Service Commission was in the process of identifying land in districts to establish Magistrate’s Courts to ensure that citizens access justice from within their reach.
He noted that it would be a priority of the Judiciary Service Commission to establish the Second-High Court Circuit in Moyo district if the district offered the land.
Anyama had assured the Judiciary Service Commission of land at the site for the construction of new district offices along Moyo-Arua highway in Moyo Sub-County.
However, on 30 May 2022, Anyama told the council of the district local government that the Executive Committee of the district had recommended that the land for persons living with disabilities where they had a project of Educational Assessment and resource Services where offices of the regional police for North West Nile region are located near Moyo General Hospital, be given to the Judiciary Service Commission to establish the High Court Circuit.
The chairman Moyo district local government said the persons with disabilities land was deemed fit for the court after an assessment by a team of officials from the Judiciary Service Commission who came on fact finding mission about presence of the space.
Representatives of people living with disabilities to the district council, Florence Opia and Ulego James Angalefori resisted the decision of the District Executive Committee saying, they have plans to put the land in question into use.
The representative of the people of Laropi Town Council told the meeting that his people had accepted to offer land to accommodate the Second High Court in the region but his submission received negative response from the chairman.
During the recent council meeting, Anyama informed the August House that he is pursuing the Union of Persons Living with Disabilities to accept to offer the land in question as the only alternative for the district to host the Second High Court Circuit.
The resurfacing of the issue of the land that that the owners had refused to give nagged Ceaser Andevu, the representative of the people of Laropi Town Council as he indicated that it is a bad practice to forcefully displace persons living with disabilities from the land against their will.
According to Andevu, the land offered in Laropi Town Council is enough to house the High Court, the staff quarters and the holding ground for inmates that the people have consented to surrender to the Judiciary Service Commission.