LEADING UGANDA

Coordinated by By Irene Lamunu

Lawyers In 'Pro Bono' Campaign

IN a bid to promote access to justice even to the very poor Ugandans, who cannot afford the services of a lawyer, the Uganda Law Society has initiated a legal aid campaign for ‘walk-in clients’.
The Legal Aid Open Week, which ran from August 18 to 22, 2008 had Deputy Chief Justice Laeticia Kikonyogo call on government to draw up a policy with minimum quality standards for legal services. (In the picture: Deputy Chief Justice Laeticia Kikonyogo)

She suggested the policy to supplement existing interventions by legal aid providers, mostly nongovernmental organizations and their development partners. Kikonyogo was opening of the Legal Aid Open Week at the Uganda Railway Station gardens in Kampala, the first of its kind in the country.

It was held under the theme, ‘Recognizing and Supporting the Right to Legal Aid in the Justice System’. Preceded by a march from Ring Road in Mengo, through the Katwe slum, the week involved establishing legal aid desks to attend to clients seeking instant legal counsel and assistance. It also had a roundtable meeting of lawyers and policymakers over the need for legal aid in the country.

 Legal aid, or pro bono, means free services provided by lawyers to clients who cannot afford to pay for them. The criminal procedure has, hitherto, only provided for free legal representation to an accused person facing a capital charge (carrying a penalty of life imprisonment or death), where such person lacks a personal attorney.

 Kikonyogo noted that there was need for law reform to allow new legislation providing for legal aid. She said services should be extended to offenders in other deserving cases. The first  female lawyer in Uganda also called upon legal aid providers and stakeholders including the Judiciary, to promote access to justice for all and enforce Rule of Law in the country.

She observed that Uganda’s Rule of Law could only succeed with sensitization and educational programmes for the masses. The lady Justice further said that there was a need to create legal awareness of proposed reforms and simplified procedure intended to facilitate easy access to justice.

The deputy chief justice suggested that human rights educational and legal literacy programs be introduced in learning institutions and in non formal sectors of society. She said the Judiciary was striving to accomplish its mandate and ensure that all people in Uganda have access to quality and speedy justice.

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