Critical Examination of the Autonomy and Challenges of the Judiciary in Uganda

examines the autonomy and challenges of the judiciary in Uganda. Judicial Independence is a hard-earned value that is cardinal to the promotion and protection of justice, and an incentive for economic development by promoting investor confidence in the judicial system, by analogy it is the oxygen of an active and inspiring judiciary; it is a lubricant of judicial machinery. To this end as a value it must be jealously nurtured, protected and promoted. Otherwise abuse or misuse of Judicial Independence may have results that are too ghastly to contemplate. Whilst criticism of judicial decisions should be possible in a democratic society, the Executive should respect the boundaries of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. It is in this light that the Ugandan people should assess their government's performance by the standards reflected in the Constitution and the human rights treaties the government has undertaken lo respect. A history of past atrocities should not limit the horizons of Ugandan society or the aspirations of the government in bringing about democracy. Keywords: Executive, Judicial independence, Legislature, Rule of law, Separation of power