Dokolo, Uganda | Dokolo District Court has requested a total of eight acres of land to pave the way for the construction of a full High Court circuit, in a move expected to improve access to justice in the district.
The request was presented on Tuesday by the Chief Magistrate of Dokolo Grade One Magistrate’s Court, Vincent Muzeyi, during the Dokolo District main council meeting held at the district headquarters.
Muzeyi told councillors that the Judiciary has plans to elevate the Grade One Magistrate’s Court at Koroto, Dokolo, to the level of a High Court circuit, but said additional land is required to facilitate full construction of the facility.
“The Judiciary is planning to elevate this court to a High Court circuit, but for that to happen, we need adequate land for the full establishment of the court infrastructure,” Muzeyi said.
He revealed that a team from the Judiciary is expected in Dokolo next week to assess the status of the land and the district’s level of preparedness for the proposed project.
Muzeyi appealed to the people of Dokolo to support the initiative, including efforts to secure more land for the development.
The Dokolo District Chairperson, James Otoo Apili, said the development was in response to a long-standing request by the district for the establishment of a High Court in Dokolo.
“It has been our appeal to the Judiciary to consider Dokolo for a High Court, and we are pleased that this is becoming a reality,” Otoo said.
He added that the district expects the proposed High Court circuit to become a model court in northern Uganda.
Dokolo District Speaker Joel Opota Okuma said the district council had already allocated three acres of land to the court, but acknowledged that more land was needed to meet the required size.
He said the district leadership would convene a special meeting with the District Executive Committee to process the allocation of an additional five acres, bringing the total to the requested eight acres.
“We had earlier provided three acres, but we now need to top it up with five more acres so that the High Court circuit can be established,” Opota said.
Several councillors who spoke during the meeting welcomed the proposal, saying the establishment of a High Court circuit in Dokolo would ease access to justice and reduce the burden on residents who currently travel long distances to seek High Court services.
They said the project would not only benefit Dokolo residents, but also strengthen judicial services in the wider Lango sub-region.
If approved and completed, the proposed High Court circuit is expected to improve the handling of serious civil and criminal cases, which are currently referred to courts outside the district.