Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dolo has urged Christian lawyers to shun corruption and be ambassadors of justice and the rule of law.
He says it is undeniable that there is corruption in the judiciary and wondered if Christian lawyers can be exonerated from the vice.
Speaking on Friday at Hotel Africana at a public lecture organized by the Uganda Christian Lawyers Federation to remember the life of the organization’s first president Charles Owor, the Chief Justice challenged members to report cases of misconduct in the judiciary to his office so as to correct the judicial system.
The chief justice says if lawyers and judicial officers were to use the principles of justice in the Bible, they would ably dispense justice to the public.
The Chief Justice who was a classmate of Charles Owor at Makerere University Law School remembered him as an advocate of justice and asked Christian lawyers to stand by the values Owor cherished.
Owor died in a motor accident near Eldoret in Kenya in 2000. Owor, the former constituent assembly delegate for Aswa County was also the first president of the Uganda Christian Lawyers Federation from 1986 till his death.
The federation patron Justice Mike Chibita described Owor as a humble man and an advocate of justice. He says the tendency of lawyers demanding high fees to serve clients is not something that Owor would be proud of. He hence asked lawyers to make justice accessible, offer legal aid and promote justice for all.
Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire also remembered Owor as a man who spoke truth to power and stood for the truth. She urged Christian lawyers to emulate Owor as they remember him.
The Democratic Party-DP President General Nobert Mao says many people think one can’t be a lawyer and a Christian because lawyers are said to not be trustworthy yet Christianity preaches truthfulness and honesty.
He says Owor promoted Christian values like honesty and justice among his colleagues and asked that such should be emulated by all Christian lawyers.
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