President Museveni has renewed his call to blend Uganda's indigenous justice systems into the formal legal framework, praising Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo for leading these reforms.
Speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony in Agago District, Museveni applauded Owiny-Dollo's resolve. He called it principled, not defiant.
"I have no problem with stubbornness. I am also stubborn. People who don't like it usually have no arguments," he said.
Museveni credited such persistence for helping raise the judiciary's budget.
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"That's how we've been able to move the budget of the judiciary," he said.
He also criticized the colonial legal systems still in use, calling them outdated and disconnected from local realities.
"This system we found here is just childish," Museveni said. "They say a thief has a right to remain silent, yet he's even too ashamed to look you in the face."
The President praised Owiny-Dollo for promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which uses traditional methods to resolve conflicts.
"We salute his contribution for downloading our indigenous concepts of justice into ADR," Museveni said.
He then turned to the economy, expressing frustration that some regions had ignored his four-acre model for rural development. The model, first introduced in 1996, promotes mixed farming on small plots growing coffee, fruits, food crops, and keeping livestock.
Museveni stressed that roads and electricity alone don't improve livelihoods.
"You're not going to sleep on the tarmac road. You must have something in your house," he said.
He urged Ugandans to take initiative and invest in private services like education, healthcare, solar power, and water harvesting.
"You can bring services to yourself even before government brings its own. That's how we build self-reliance," he added.
The President's remarks signaled a twofold message: embrace traditional systems and take personal responsibility for development.
Museveni also reflected on Uganda's post-Amin era. He recalled efforts to build a new political force and the accusations the NRM faced in 1986.
"It was falsely claimed in Northern Uganda that the NRM was anti-Acholi. Yet I fought against Amin, who was responsible for many Langi and Acholi deaths," he said.
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He commended Owiny-Dollo for rejecting tribal divisions and supporting unity efforts. "People like Owiny-Dollo, who had just graduated, defied false narratives and helped us build new alliances in the North," he said.
Museveni described Owiny-Dollo as a key figure in integrating cultural practices into the justice system. "His greatest achievement has been indigenizing justice through ADR," he added.
Justice Owiny-Dollo became Chief Justice in 2020. He has strongly supported traditional dispute resolution, especially in rural and post-conflict areas. The judiciary is now using ADR to reduce case backlogs and expand access to justice.
