Kampala — Few incidences erode public faith in the country's law enforcement mechanisms than that of a law enforcer - an official in the judiciary at that - being caught bypassing the very laws he/she is mandated to uphold.

Like in the case of Mbarara Grade II Magistrate, Moses Ndifuna, who the Anti-Corruption Court found guilty on Monday of receiving a Shs200,000 bribe from a businessman and sentenced to two years in jail, such incidences bring to the fore the sorry state of Uganda's judiciary in ways nothing else can.

The judiciary, because of its role as protector of each person's Constitutional, human, civil and legal rights, always need not be under the influence of any outsider - be it an individual or institution - for the rule of law to prevail in the country.

The situation in Uganda has, however, been a far cry from this ideal. According to a report released late last year by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), the judiciary is perceived as the second most corrupt government institution in the country after the police.

Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki has also weighed in on the issue, conceding in an August 19 consultative meeting with members on the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee, that corruption has indeed plagued the judiciary.

In the recent past, some officials in the judiciary - like Justice Okumu Wengi - are alleged to have been involved in multi-million shilling corruption cases. This gave the impression that such graft was only happening in the highest places. But the conviction of Magistrate Ndifuna shows that corruption has indeed become an acceptable way of life in Ugandan society, including the judiciary, as the IGG noted in the 2008 report.

The result is that the public is losing trust in the country's law enforcement mechanisms, with the 2008 police crime report showing that ordinary Ugandans are increasingly taking the law into their own hands.

In a country where the masses have lost faith in the ability of public institutions to do their job with integrity, the judiciary has been looked at as the last defence for ordinary citizens pushed against the wall by the excesses in the other arms of government.

The judiciary should therefore do all it can to guard against losing its integrity as doing so is tantamount to leaving Ugandans to resort to the jungle law - a recipe for disaster especially as the country approaches the 2011 general elections when tensions usually reach fever pitch.