By Weswa Ronnie
MANAFWA
The Judiciary has revealed why Bubulo Magistrate’s Court has the highest number of cases in Bugisu region.
Manafwa magistrate court serves two districts of Manafwa and Namisindwa.
While speaking to thousands of community members on Tuesday at Bubulo magistrate court premises located at Manafwa town council in Manafwa district during court open day, Godfrey Namunda, the senior resident judge at Mbale high court says this has worried government.
According to Namunda, last year Bubulo magistrate court registered 800 cases but so far by end of June cases registered bare 500 saying he expects the number to raise to above 1,000 which will be high compared to other magistrate courts in Bugisu.
Suzan Awidi, the acting Chief magistrate working with Mbale high court says that most of the cases at Bubulo magistrate court are theft, robbery, land conflicts, murder among others from Namisindwa.
She says that people from Namisindwa and Manafwa have ignored clan and local council courts yet most of the cases they report to police are minor which can be handled by those lower courts.
Kosea Kimono Kigayi the LCV chairperson of Manafwa has blamed police of always asking for bribes before giving out police bond to suspects.
He adds that asking for a bribe before giving a bond is illegal and most of the locals are threatened by police.
Kigayi urged concerned authorities to discipline such officers who ask for bribe from locals before offering a bond.
Isaac Kiyonga the Oc station Manafwa central police station has urged locals not to always give a bribe to any police officer before getting a bond since it’s illegal.
He urged them to always report any officer who ask them a bribe before granting suspect with a bond to his or her boss for punishment.
However, Sam Kundu and Suzan Namutosi all residents from Namisindwa who turned up for the function asked government to come up with tough penalties against officers who ask bribes before granting a bond to suspects since it’s becoming a vice across the country in police.
