A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SENTENCING GUIDELINES IN UGANDA TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE THE COURTS APPLIED THE GUIDELINES WHEN SENTENCING

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ................................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL ......................................................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................ v

AND WORD MEANINGS ANGLOPHONE ........................................................................ v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... vi

LIST OF CASES .................................................................................................................. x

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... xii

CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................. 1

GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1

1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of the study ............................................................................................................ 2

1.2 Statement of the prob1em .......................................................................................................... .4

1.3 The purpose of the study ........................................................................................................... 5

1.4 Objectives of the stndy .............................................................................................................. 5

1.4.1 General objectives .................................................................................................................. 5

1.4.2 Specific objectives .................................................................................................................. 5

1.5 Research questions .................................................................................................................... 6

1.6 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................... 6

1.7 The scope of the stndy ............................................................................................................... 7

1.8 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 7

1.9 Literature review ........................................................................................................................ 7

CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................... 17

THE SETENCING GUIDELINES IN UGANDA ............................................................... 17

2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 17

2.2 Historical development of sentencing guidelines in Uganda .................................................. 18

2.3 AN OVERVIEW OF UGANDA'S SETENCING GUIDELINES ......................................... 19

2.4 DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF UGANDA'S SENTENCING GUIDELINES .................... 25

2.4.1 The Inclusion of Restorative Justice ..................................................................................... 26

2.4.2 An Avenue for Commtmity Engagement ............................................................................. 28

2.4.3 A Voice for Victims ............................................................................................................. 29

2.4.4 Aggressive Stance on Human Sacrifice ................................................................................ 29

2.4.5 Judicial Consideration of Cultural Practices ........................................................................ 30

2.4.6 A Commitment to Functionality and Pragmatism ................................................................ 30

2.4.7 The Initial Maintenance of the Status Quo ........................................................................... 32

2.4.8 A Mechanism to Ensure Legal Quality Contro\.. ................................................................. 33

2.5 Sentencing Guidelines Committee ......................................................................................... .40

2.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................ 43

THE EXTENT OF APPLICATION OF THE SENTENCING GUIDELINES BY COURTS

WHEN SENTENCING IN UGANDA ................................................................................ 43

3.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ .43

3 .1.1 The emphasis on victim and community engagement in the sentencing process ............... .44

3 .1.2 Restorative justice ................................................................................................................ .45

3 .1.3 The promotion of noncustodial sentences ........................................................................... .4 7

3.1.4 Denouncing unlawful conduct ............................................................................................. .47

3.1.5 Deterring a person from committing an offence ................................................................. .48

3.1.6 Assisting in rehabilitating and re-integrating an offender into society ................................ 51

3 .1. 7 Providing reparation for harm done to a victim or to the community .................................. 53

3.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 59

CHAPTER FOUR .............................................................................................................. 60

THE IMPACT OF THE FAILURE TO APPLY THE SENTENCING GUIDELINES

WHEN SENTENCING ...................................................................................................... 60

4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 60

4.1.1 MiscatTiage of justice ........................................................................................................... 61

4.1.2 Disparity in sentencing ......................................................................................................... 65

4.1.3 Backlog of cases in appellate comis ..................................................................................... 67

4.1.4 Excessive exercise of judicial discretion .............................................................................. 68

4.1.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 70

CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................ 71

GENERAL FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................ 71

5.1 General Findings ...................................................................................................................... 71

5.1 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 75

5.1.1 Reform on widening the scope of the sentencing 'guidelines' to cover all civil and criminal offences ........................................................ 75

5 .1.2 Renewed strict adherence to the application of the sentencing 'guidelines' by the courts when sentencing ........................................ 7 5

5.1.3 Emphasis on the non-custodial sentences as well as empowering the Ugandan prisons to carryout rehabilitative measures and processes of re-integration ...... 76

5.1.4 Initiation of internal procedures within the courts in order to handle themselves accountable to the society on failure to adhere to such measures .......... 77

5.1.5 The judiciary as a custodian of the law must be at the top of its game of ensuring justice seen to have been done ............................. 77

5.1.7 Widening it to the court martial department due to the fact that the people tried in these courts are subject to the protection of the Constitution of Republic of Uganda 1995 (as amended) .......................................................... 78

5.1.8 There is need to sensitize the public on their duties and obligations during sentencing and the existence of the sentencing 'guidelines' in Uganda .......... 78

5.2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 79

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................... 80 

ABSTRACT 

This work entails and focuses on the case study of the Sentencing Guidelines in Uganda, the extent of its application when sentencing and the impact of failure to apply such sentencing guidelines when sentencing. - The study illustrates and demonstrates that the sentencing guidelines were newly promulgated in to the Ugandan judicial system by the then Ugandan Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki upon issuance of the Constitution (Sentencing Guidelines for the Courts of (Practice) Directions on 26 April 2013 as a result of the country's judiciary faces during the sentencing phase of criminal cases. Of particular concern are chronically unwarranted disparities in sentences in which charges under the same offense involving similar circumstances often result in greatly varying punishments, in part because of unfettered Judicial discretion, corruption, favoritism, and influence peddling. It shows how the judicial system in Uganda has with time evolved and developed mechanisms in order to secure consistence, guard against abuse of judicial discretion and unwarranted disparities in sentencing through the sentencing guidelines. This study analyses these concepts and adopts a purposive approach, and calls for a shift from too much concentration on the criminal justice in Uganda towards offering such guidelines to the civil litigation due to the fact that much disputes are observed in the civil and commercial sector of the country.