By George Busiinge The Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine Tuesday launched the "plea bargain” judicial system, aimed at tackling over 2400 pending criminal cases that have been in the system for long. This is aimed at clearing case backlog in the country’s judicial system. Explaining the need to roll out this program to other parts of the country, Justice Bamwine reasoned that the backlog is alarming and that the judiciary had to look outside its normal operations to find a solution to the huge case backlog despite having a very small number of judicial officers. Dr Bamwine who is the administrative head of the high court, further explained that the only two judges attached to Mbarara High Court are not enough to handle the over 1000 pending criminal cases alongside the civil cases hence the need for the plea bargain program. Plea bargain is an agreement between the accused person and…

By George Busiinge The Hoima municipality mayor Grace Mary Mugasa has called for more sensitization of local leaders on issues regarding to oil and gas sector. Speaking at a one day dialogue on oil and gas organized by and Mid-Western Region Anti-Corruption Coalition in Hoima, Mugasa says there are still information gaps amongst leaders regarding oil related matters. He called for regular engagements between government and lower local leaders to understand more about the oil project to ensure they disseminate right information on oil and Gus. Birrah Nassah, the programs manager for Mid-Western Region Anti-Corruption Coalition says the training was aimed at empowering local leaders on land acquisition policies. He says that as the country heads to production phase, there is need for leaders to get empowered so that they can be able to advocate for people’s land rights. However the Hoima district Lc 5 chairman says that a lot…

Ugandans will have to acquire the right education if they are going to benefit from the nascent oil and gas industry and the time is now for those interested to train and get the right skills and knowledge needed to work in the sensitive natural resources sector. Institutions like Victoria University Kampala through its Department of Petroleum and Gas Studies under the Faculty of Business and Management is offering opportunities to Ugandans to get this kind of education by introducing courses demanded by restrictive industry. The courses offered by Victoria University which is located on Jinja Road in Kampala city center deliver skills a learner needs to start a career in the oil and gas industry value chain, Dr Krishna N. Sharma the Vice Chancellor recently said in an interview with this magazine at his office. He said the courses are diverse, covering technical and commercial topics. The Department of…

By Malise Otoo African leaders around the world have gathered in Accra, Ghana with the aim of finding solutions to Africa's economic transformational needs through dialogue. Speaking under the theme, "Convene, Strategize, Transform ", K.Y. Amoako, founding President, ACET highlighted some key points in the Pan-African Coalition for Transformation (PACT) which includes Resource Mobilization and Management, Agriculture, Skills Development and Youth Training, Extractive and Manufacturing to kick start the forum. He pointed out that, "Africa's transformation must push Africa forward with strong partnerships leading to strong governments". This he said is one of the many ways Africa's economic misfortunes can transform. Similarly, as Agriculture is a key contributer to the GDP of most African economies, K.Y Amoako says support from major world partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have been very crucial especially in the…