Patongo High Court Circuit Starts Operations

Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo has launched the operationalisation of the Patongo High Court in Agago District. 

Patongo High Court, is among the five recently operationalised high court circuits across the country in a bid to bring judicial services closer to the people.

This initiative is part of the Judiciary's broader effort to decentralise legal services and bring justice closer to the people, particularly in rural and previously underserved regions.

Establishing the courts is expected to ease the burden on overextended judicial centres and ensure that residents of Patongo and neighbouring areas can access timely and fair legal services.

Chief Justice Owiny Dollo said that when he assumed office, one of his goals was to reduce case backlogs and improve access to justice by building more courthouses.

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Baptist Asiimwe, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, who heads the department of Management Support Services, said the court's establishment will see many more people seeking formal and legal justice solutions, which they feared to use due to the distance to the courts.

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Betty Ajok, the Chief Magistrate, also the Court Deputy Registrar, pledged that the judicial officers at the Patongo Chief Magistrate and High Court will endeavour to maintain judicial accountability and to leave a justice that is not tainted with corruption and full of case backlogs.

Ajok, however, requested transport means to facilitate their movement across the districts that the courts will serve, and more staff.

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Kizza Oscar, a tax attorney, said the commissioning of the courts clearly defines what it means to bring justice closer to the people. 

“Our people from Otuke, from Adilang, will not have to brave more than 100 kilometres to go to court,” Kizza said.

Kizza thanked the Chief Justice and the administration of the Judiciary for fulfilling the pledge of bringing justice closer to the people, saying it will be instrumental in ensuring that the local people no longer experience the inconvenience of incurring transport costs to other districts to attend high court sessions, and looking for accommodation while seeking justice.

He appealed to the lawyers in the district to take up the opportunity and serve their people, especially under the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism of the court, including mediation, small claims courts, and plea-bargaining, intended to provide quicker and more flexible justice solutions.

“The young lawyers within the district now have a place to sit and help people from home. There will now be no excuse for saying your court is very far, or we don’t have transport,” Kizza added.

Leonard Ojok, the Agago District Chairperson, said the court is very important in sustaining peace and tranquillity, which are necessary for any place to develop.

“You cannot talk of development when there is no peace. You cannot talk of peace when we do not have an effective court of justice. People can only plan and implement their plan when they know if there are wrongdoers, justice will be made available,” Ojok said.

Ojok is optimistic that criminal cases and the rampant cases of revenge will greatly reduce because of the presence of the court.

“You will not need to read a lot of your books of law. People will now fear committing offences because they have seen the physical building. Even the police will now have no work because people will fear committing crimes,” he said.

He, however, appealed to the judicial officers to handle land matters faster, because they constitute the highest number of crimes in the district.

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Kranimu Ayumu, a resident of Omot Sub-county, said he has been battling a land case for years. According to Ayumu, his land was sold by a neighbour, and he lost the case, yet his rival wasn’t even appearing in court.

Ayumu said he filed an appeal at the Gulu High Court, but is confident that he will get a fair hearing athe t Patongo High Court Circuit.

The Patongo High Court Circuit will serve the districts of Pader, Abim, Otuke, and Agago, Lamwo, and Karenga, with Justice George Okello appointed to preside over the court.