Effectiveness of Judicial Review and Its Application in The Court System of Uganda

LOLEM CHRISTINE AMY 70 PAGES (21517 WORDS) Law Project

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................... 1

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

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

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

LIST OF STATUTES ...................................................................................................................... v

LIST OF CASES ........................................................................................................................... vi

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. x

CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................ I

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ................................................................................. 1

I .0. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... I

I. I Background ofthe study ............................................................................................................ I

1.2 Statement of the problem .......................................................................................................... .4

1.3 Research objectives ................................................................................................................... 5

1.3.1 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 5

1.4 Scope of the study ...................................................................................................................... 5

1.4.1 Content scopc .......................................................................................................................... 6

1.5 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 6

1.5.! Reliabilit\ of the instrument ................................................................................................... ?

1.5.2 Data gathering procedures ...................................................................................................... ?

1.5.3 Ethical considerations ............................................................................................................. ?

1.6 Significance oftbe St11dy ........................................................................................................... 8

1.7 Litemture Review ...................................................................................................................... 8

1.7.1 lntroduetion ............................................................................................................................. 8

1.7.2 Related Literature ................................................................................................................... 9

CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................... •.'"44

THE JUDICIAL REVIEW AND ITS APPLICATION ........................................................... 14

2.0 The situations where judicial review is applied ....................................................................... l4

2.1 Residential Tenancy Act issues ............................................................................................... 14

vii

2.2 Compensation Act issues ......................................................................................................... l4

2.3 Time limits for applying for a judicial review ......................................................................... 14

2.4 The Judicial Review Procedure Act ........................................................................................ 15

2.5 The court allow a judicial review ............................................................................................ 16

2.6 A judicial review is not a "re-hearing" .................................................................................... 16

2.7 The standard of review ............................................................................................................ !?

2.8 There are different standards of review ford ifferent kinds of tribunals .................................. !?

2.9 A decision made by the court .................................................................................................. 17

2.1 0 The petition ............................................................................................................................ 18

2.11 The petitioner's affidavit ....................................................................................................... 19

2.12 Filing the documents in court..................................... .. .. ................................................ 19

2.13 Fees ........................................................................................................................................ 20

2.14 When judicial review can be granted as a remedy ................................................................ 20

2.15 Procedure ....................................................................................... : ....................................... 21

CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 23

CHALLENGES FACING THE INDEPENDENCE OF .JUDICIARY AND HOW IT

AFFECTS DISPENSATION OF .JUSTICE IN COURTS SYSTEM IN UGANDA ............. 23

3.0 lntroduction .............................................................................................................................. 23

3.1 Challenges encountered in enhancing judicial review ............................................................. 23

3.2Structured public deliberation ........................................................................... : ... ~ ................... 26

3.2.1 Den1ocracy ............................................................................................................................ 26

3.2.:' Ru!c of law .................................................................................................. .' ................. ;· ...• ,: .. 27

3.2.3 Structured public debate ...................................................................................................... 29

CHAPTER FOUR ....................................................................................................................... 34

STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND

_ PT;:RFORMANCE OF .JUDICIARY IN UGANDA .................................... , ... , ......................... 34

4.0 !ntroductir..n ............................................................................................................................ -.. -~'3.4 .

4.1 Strategies to improve the effectiveness and performance ofjudiciary in Uganda .................. 34

4.2 Solutions to improve the effectiveness and performance ofjudiciary in Uganda ................... 38

viii

4. 3 Cone! usi on .............................................................................................................................. .4 8

CHAPTER FIVE ......................................................................................................................... 50

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEND A TIONS ....................................................................... 50

5. 0 In trod u ct ion ............................................................................................................................... 50

5. I Conclusions .............................................................................................................................. 50

5.3 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 53

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................. , .... 56

ABSTRACT The study determined the effectiveness review and its application in the court .system of Uganda, it was guided by the following objectives, to determine how efj'ective judicial review has been protecting people 's rights in regard to the constitution of the republic of Uganda, to identifY the challenges fixing the independence ojjudicicay and how this affix Is di.spensation ojjus/ice. to draw strategies and solution to improve the effectiveness and pe1jormance of the judiciWJI in Uganda. The s/uc(v utili::.ed 11'ill be qua/it alive in nature as. according to Leec(v, this methodology is aimed at description. Qualitative research is used in several academic disciplines. including political science, sociology, education and psvchology. This s/uc(v utilized a descriptive approach as it will be necessary to observe and describe the challenges of creating the appropriate laws in regards to legal profession. Thus the researcher will utilize a descriptive approach on the Judicial Review and its application on the courts .system a case s/uc(v of Kampala Uganda. Judicial review is no/ on(J' an integral part of the Conslilution but is also a basic structure of the Cons/i/ution which cannot be whittled down by an amendment of the Constitution amlthejudicicay is the best placed gorernmen/ organ to implement judicial review. It is. as illustrated. ajimdamental right in law. The stm(1' concluded that the 1961 and the 1967 Conslilutions guaranteedjimdamemal rights andji·eedoms. TherefiJre. violation of'/wman rights in post-independence LZf!;anda lt'as not sole~1· due to 11·euknesses or absence of constitutional and other legal guarantees of those rights. It is because of the political turmoil that characterized Uganda that the Constitution was enacted to prolecljimdamental and other rights among other things. The s/tf((l' recommended that the researcher urges the government, the Judicial Service Commission and the Judiciwy to inFestigale allegul collusion beill'een the police andjudicial officers. In any erenl. the Judiciwy should lake precautions so as not to become an (unwilling) participant il11l'hat might amount to arbitrcoy detention. As an immediate measure, the Judicimy should allow the deposition of sureties to the court to p1·event a possible abuse of the bail procedure. Judicial revie11• is hoJI'ever not the only remedy available for enjiJrcement of' fimdamental rights andfi·eedoms under the Conslilulion. Under article 50 if any person who claims that afimdamental or other right orji·eedom guaranteed under the Constitution has been in/i-inged or threatened, he is enti!led to app(v to a competent court for redress which may include com pe nsu I; on.