Judicial Independence In The Murky Waters Of Politics

Judicial independence is essential to a society’s survival.  Independence of the judiciary these days seem more theoretical than practical as executive rascals and commercial interests undermine the credibility of the judicial process.

 The adopted principles for an independent judiciary like the guidelines for appointment and removal, tenure and conduct and discipline have all been subject to manipulations from commercial agencies and government.

 While a judge is subject to the law and his/her conscience, they cannot be excluded from the society they found themselves. And so have had to contend with forces that are bent on rubbishing their reputation or frustrating their efforts.

 A case in point is that of Uganda President Museveni who claimed that the major work for the judge is to settle chicken and goat theft cases but not to determine the country’s destiny. In some cases too, judges are given cars, houses to secure their loyalty while the ones who have shown independence have beaten to line by all means or driven away.

 As a people we have to protect the sanctity of the judicial process and ensure its independence at all times. Responsibly too, we have to deploy all the instrument of the state in protecting our judges from physical and psychological intimidation and threats of violence.