Chief Justice Bart Katureebe on Wednesday sought to clarify on a rumor that he refused to stand with fellow judicial officers under him, who for the last 10 days, have been on a sit down strike demanding salary increment.
Katureebe revealed today that he caught wind of the rumor, which he however dismissed as baseless.
Word was doing rounds since the commencement of the strike, that the Chief Justice didn’t support the strike because he is comfortable with his salary which exceeds Shs. 20million.
The strike ended today following government’s commitment to address the judicial officers’ concerns.
Addressing Judges and magistrates under the Uganda Judicial Officers Association (UJOA), Katureebe stressed that ever since he was appointed Chief Justice, he has done much pushing for better pay of judicial officers.
“On Monday I myself called the Prime Minster asking for a meeting with the UJOA Executive to discuss how to handle this matter. On several occasions I have also engaged the Ministry of Finance over the same issues and there are more meetings on the way,” he said.
The Chief Justice went on to praise government’s subsequent response; which he said made the judicial officers’ struggle worthwhile.
Speaking at the meeting, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire informed judicial officers that for a long time, President Yoweri Museveni has made efforts that include directives aimed at improving their welfare, but some officers in government decided to ignore them.
The Minister revealed that he has already received a certificate of finance for the Judicial Administration Bill from the Treasury and promised that by next week this Bill will be tabled before Parliament,
“As a steward of justice,” the Minister said, “I am going to struggle not to ensure that you become rich; but to make sure that you get your fair share.”
“For Grade One magistrates for instance, I want to ensure that they live, because by now they are simply surviving.”