(By Simon Musasizi- The Weekly Observer)

In 2010, when Night (not real name) fled her violent husband’s home and returned to her parents in Kasese, she expected him to go for her – as is often the norm in Uganda.

To her surprise, things didn’t happen that way. It was, instead, a court bailiff who came knocking at her father’s door in May last year.The bailiffs had carried court summons from Makindye magistrate’s court, requiring Night to appear before the court within two weeks in a divorce case filed by her husband.“The letter was delivered 10 days after it had been issued.

The Coordinator of Soroti Development Association and NGO’s Network (SODANN), Mr. Omiat Moses and one other staff narrowly survived death when unknown assailants attacked them with a gun.The incident took place on May 7 2004 between 2:30pm and 3:00pm at the organization’s premises on Harridas road in Northern Division of Soroti Municipality. In a case filed at the Soroti Central Police Station under file number SD/19/08/05/2014, Phillip Echodu, a volunteer with SODANN narrated that two men walked into the reception of the office demanding for the coordinator, who had been away from office for a week. 

www.unodc.org//

Many countries still lack the necessary resources and capacity to provide legal aid for suspects, those charged with a criminal offence, prisoners, victims and witnesses. Providing adequate legal aid is key in developing a more efficient legal system. This helps make better use of limited State resources, promotes greater community involvement in the criminal justice system - including facilitating community-based sanctions and non-custodial measures -, reduces the unnecessary use of detention and imprisonment, and rationalizes criminal justice policies.

Legal aid should be perceived broadly beyond court processes so that it can be used to enhance options likely to divert some matters from the already clogged court system through Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms like arbitration and mediation as well as counseling and psycho-socio support.

This was revealed by the Acting Chief Justice Steven Kavuma while opening a two days  Second National Legal Aid Conference which took place on 26th and 27th June 2014 at Imperial Royale Hotel.