Institutions involved in Law and Administration of Justice

Friday, July 31, 2020

There are various government institutions involved in law and administration of justice. Presently thirteen of these institutions are working under the umbrella of the Justice, Law and Order Sector (J/LOS) in order to enhance coordination, communication and co-operation amongst themselves. Ten of the said thirteen are the core JLOS institutions while the three are associate institutions.

Core JLOS institutions

These institutions are:- Judicial Service Commission, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Uganda Police Force, Judiciary, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Uganda Prisons Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Uganda Law Reform Commission, Ministry of Local Government (Local Council Courts) and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (Probationary Services rendered by the Department of Youth and Children Affairs) and Uganda Human Rights Commission.

Associate JLOS institutions

These institutions are: - Law Development Centre, Tax Appeals Tribunal, Uganda Law Society, and Centre for Arbitration & Dispute Resolution.

JLOS institutions have a secretariat that coordinates reform activities under the sector wide approach to administration of justice and maintenance of law and order. It is housed in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

In addition, there are other bodies that are involved in law and administration of justice. These include courts that adjudicate special types of disputes such as the Court Martial, the Industrial Court, District Land Tribunals (under the Judiciary), the Uganda Communications Tribunal and the Electricity Disputes Tribunal.

Further, professional bodies like the Uganda Law Society also exercise quasi- judicial powers when making decisions that affect the rights of their members which have a bearing on the administration of justice.

Administration of justice also covers the work of personnel and organizations that participate in the administration of justice such as advocates, court bailiffs and Legal Aid providers that provide free legal services.

They include the Federation of Uganda Women Lawyers commonly known as FIDA, the Legal Aid Clinic of the Uganda Law Society, the Law Development Centre Legal Aid Clinic, the Public Defender Organization and the Legal Aid Clinic of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiatives.

Of the other institutions involved in the administration of justice, it is worth mentioning the roles of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the Inspectorate of Government and the Electoral Commission.

Finally, members of the public are key actors in the administration of justice. They are the users of the services rendered by the institutions involved in law and administration of justice. For instance, it is they who report cases to court or who testify in court as witnesses in courts or other dispute resolution fora.

Each stakeholder involved in law and administration of justice plays a very important role. When one stakeholder fails to perform its duty, or is not efficient in performing its duty, “the wheels of justice” cannot run smoothly.

Tags : Law Guide