New judges told not to rest on their laurels

The Deputy Chief Justice has urged judges to act ethically while discharging duties at their respective workstations.

“As you perform your roles at the higher bench, the judicial officers of the lower bench look up to you as their role models. You are expected to be good examples to the lower bench,” said Justice Richard Buteera during the closing ceremony of a two-week induction of 11 newly appointed High Court judges at Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe on Thursday.

Justice Buteera implored the judges to offer judicial services above self, warning that “the cyber space and social media are here to expose you and your happenings to the entire world in a blink of an eye.”

The Deputy Chief Justice added that with the number of High Court judges now enhanced to 81, “a lot of output [is expected] in terms of court performance by delivery of judgments in a speedy and fair manner.”

The Principal Judge, Flavian Zeija, further cautioned the new judges to be cognisant of the fact that members of the public pay taxes, which are used to pay their salaries.

“I will be breathing down your neck about performance,” he warned, citing an example of a lady judge whom he had in the past cautioned for being on record to have handled only six cases in an entire year.

The chairperson of the Governing Council of the Judicial Training Institute, Justice Mike Chibita, urged the new judges to be disciplined.

“The job that you have taken on requires discipline in a number of areas. One is in relation to time keeping because courts operate on time. I hope that all of you will be able to abide by this,” he said.