Robert Kasande, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has saved government Shs 3.6 trillion in three years that would have been paid in awards and costs.
From 2021 up to-date, the ministry represented government in 16,420 cases in courts and tribunals and commissions.
A total of 1,171 cases were concluded, and of these, 899 cases were won, saving Government Shs 3.6 trillion that would have been paid in awards and costs. Cases lost were 272 amounting to Shs 655Bn.
Robert Kasande, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry made this revelation on Tuesday while updating the country on how the ministry has performed in implementing the 2021-2026 NRM Manifesto commitments.
He added that the Ministry reviewed and cleared 7,536 contracts, 1,562 MOUs and rendered 1,999 legal opinions.
Kasande said the above contracts are the instruments by which government projects like road constructions, schools, dams, and purchases of all essential medicines for Government Hospitals are made.
“These were reviewed and guidance provided in time to allow a smooth service delivery of Government services to the country,” said Kasande.
On the construction of the JLOS House, Kasande said that construction of JLOS House is at an estimated cost of Shs 256bn and that it is being undertaken in 3 phases, with phase one currently at 75% completion by June 2023 while phase two, which is the Construction of the police headquarters is at 13%.
“JLOS house phase one to accommodate the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Uganda Prisons (UPS), Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Uganda Law Reform Commission (ULRC), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Tax Appeals Tribunal (TAT),” said Kasande.
Upon completion, it will reduce government expenditure burden of Shs 30Bn per year on rent, added Kasande.
In March 2022, President Yoweri Museveni launched livestock payments for war debt claimants and/beneficiaries in Acholi, Lango and Teso sub regions. According to Kasande, the Ministry has so far compensated 24,777 claimants with a total amount of Shs 121.225 Bn in the sub regions of Acholi, Lango and Teso.
These are:
-3,993 claimants in Acholi Sub-Region a total of Shs 33.222Bn.
-10,684 Claimants/beneficiaries in Lango Sub-Region a total of Shs 39.242Bn.
-10,100 Claimants/beneficiaries in Teso Sub-Region a total of Shs 48.759Bn.
He reported improved lives and livelihoods as a result of an increase in household incomes to boost agriculture and general productivity of the population.
However, he said that to date the total verified liability in relation to cattle compensation amounts to Shs 473.302Bn.
In this area, Kasande reported a insufficient budget allocation; Submission of incomplete/incorrect data by claimants and beneficiaries delaying the verification exercise; and Bounced payments majorly due to inaccurate bank account details as some of the major challenges.
Kasande added that there is inadequate staff to adequately run the 7 Regional Offices that offer all the services of the Ministry including defending Local Governments and Administrator General Services.
This requires an additional wage budget provision of Shs 11.407Bn, said Kasande.
According to Kasande, the Judiciary is operationalizing 38 High Court circuits countrywide whereas this Ministry has only 7 Regional Offices.
He said that there is need to operationalize at least 20 Regional Offices to match the capacity of the Judiciary.
Kasande said that the construction of additional 13 Regional Offices requires Shs 130Bn budget.
He noted that there is an on going Automation of Case management systems in JLOS front-line institutions including the Judiciary, Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MOJCA), Directorate for Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC), National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Uganda Police Force.
This, he said, includes mapping of business processes relating to the sharing/exchange of criminal records between the Police, DPP, Judiciary and Prisons with linkage to the national registers and databases operated mainly by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).
However, he said that there is need to fast-track the formulation of law on Traditional Knowledge Protection to regulate traditional knowledge and folklore, and low level of Integration of registration systems with other national institutional systems like IRAS – Integrated Revenue Administration System, Immigration etc., which limits seamless registration processes.
In the fight against corruption,Kasande reported that implementation of the investigative and prosecution machinery has greatly contributed in the fight against corruption in the following ways:
For instance, he said the ODPP Prosecuted 774 corruption and corruption-related cases and concluded 260 cases at an average conviction rate of 85%.
A total of Shs 13.251Bn was from the corruption cases prosecuted.
The ODPP also aided the public service of 77 public servants convicted of corruption and barred from holding public office for 10 years.
Democracy
Kasande said that the Electoral Commission has been able to conduct the Parliamentary and District Chairperson By-elections as soon as the vacancies occurred following the timelines specified in the constitution that is 6 months for District Local Government and sixty (60) days in the case of a Parliamentary vacancy.
The Commission has also been able to fill the existing local council vacancies in areas where the Parliamentary and District Chairpersons by-elections happened.
762 Local Government Council and Administrative Units (LC I &II) and Women Council and Committees Positions across the Country still remain unfilled because of limited funds to conduct the elections.
Kasande noted that inadequate biometric voter verification system kits which are also affected by poor network in some regions is one of the key challenges of the Commission.
“Up to date registration of all citizens who will be of voting age, by NIRA within the country and out of the country to ensure all are registered on the National Register. Limited funds to fill the existing 762 Local Government Council and Administrative Units (LC I &II) and Women Council and Committees Positions across the Country,” said Kasande.
