Buvuma residents seek local court

By Michael Odeng

BUVUMA - Residents of Buvuma Island have requested the Judiciary to establish a local court in their area to enhance access to justice.

They made the call on February 25, 2025, during Lugazi chief magistrate Moses Nabende’s visit to Buvuma Island.

The magistrate visited the nursery school housed in the court premises, Island’s prison, the Police station and the office of the Resident District Commissioner. The visitation was to assess the work conditions and to foster cooperation among the stakeholders.

The stakeholders observed that the court did not have official premises but was being housed in a dilapidated Buganda Kingdom building, which also doubles as a nursery school.

This prompted the stakeholders to urge the Judiciary to construct a courthouse since the Local Government donated five acres of land.

The stakeholders were sensitised on numerous issues concerning case management, investigations, exhibit management, succession, small claims procedure, plea bargaining and alternative dispute resolution.

Small claims procedure is a civil claim whose subject matter does not exceed shilling 10 million, while a plea bargain is where an accused person agrees to plead guilty in order to have a chance to reduce the punishment and to speed up the legal process.

On the other hand, alternative dispute resolution refers to the different ways people can resolve disputes without a trial through mediation, arbitration, and neutral evaluation.

They commended grade one magistrate Johnson Talemwa for being hardworking and always being available in court despite challenges faced by Buvuma district.