MASAKA – At least 45 criminal appeals are set to be handled in Masaka during a month-long session at the Masaka High Court.
The Court of Appeal session was flagged off on Monday (September 16) by the Deputy Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny Dollo.
The regional sessions is one of the efforts to address backlog at the appellate court.
The Deputy Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, said the cause-listed appeals are for sentences and convictions passed between 2011 and 2015.
He said it was important to increase the number of Justices at the Court of Appeal from 15 to 30 to ensure timely delivery of justice.
“It is painful for one to wait for eight years to hear his or her appeal,” he said.
Among the matters on appealed include murder, aggravated defilement, robbery and defilement convictions.
The DCJ reassured court users that the Judiciary is committed to ensuring that every Ugandan gets proper justice despite the challenges of under-funding.
He, however. decried the rampant cases of murder and defilement in greater Masaka. In the on-going session, murder appeals account for nearly half of the cause-listed cases, while defilement follows closely with 16 appeals.
The session will handled by Justices Remmy Kasule, Elizabeth Musoke and Ezekiel Muhanguzi.
