Mao Calls for Public Support on the Merger of Agencies

The Minister of Justice  and Constitutional Affairs,  Nobert Mao says the minds of Ugandans have been poisoned against the government.

He made the remarks while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to defend the proposal by Government to merge Uganda Human Rights Commission with Equal Opportunities Commission,and also transfer the roles of Uganda Law Reform Commission to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

“And also perhaps, because the minds of so many people have been poisoned, that Government is so inept, but this is the same Government which guards our borders, so that nobody attacks Uganda and then people say, the Government is doing nothing. But this is the same Government which guarantees the territorial sovereignty of Uganda so that everybody finds it very risky to attack Uganda. You ask Al Shabab, but you find people saying, no, we need this agency because Government cannot do it.” He remarked.

He instead asked Ugandans to trust their Government and debate the issue of rationalization objectively.

Mao asked the Legal Committee to approve the abolishing of the Center for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution and make it a department in the Ministry for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, saying the new department will ensure that those who practice alternative case distribute resolution are trained.

“This is something which we can’t gamble with, so the Department will prepare materials for training. The Department will also accredit those to practice alternative dispute resolution. I have now on my desk, people requesting to be accredited as mediators, but we don’t have a basis for accrediting them. These aren’t controversial Bills because it is in line with the Government policy on rationalization which I believe Parliament also supports. It is intended to free resources to save money.” He told MPs

Minister Mao further defending the abolition of the Center for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, saying the reasons were premised on the survey of lawyers, which found that this body, is inept and thus, was not really adding a lot of value.

He also defended the merger of the Equal Opportunities Commission with the Uganda Human Rights Commission, saying this will lead to the formation of one body known as the Uganda Human Rights & Equal Opportunities Commission.

Additionally, the Minister also detailed plans by Government to dissolve the Uganda Law Reform Commission and establish a department for law reform in the Ministry responsible for Justice. The work will continue. Some people think when we rationalize Law Reform, it is as if there will be no work going on.