Bamasaaba Cultural Institution to Honour Judicial Peace Makers with Medals

The Bamasaaba Cultural Institution has announced plans to recognise a number of judicial and legal officials for their contribution towards resolving leadership disputes within the cultural institution and helping restore peace among the Bamasaaba community.

According to the institution’s spokesperson and Chairman of the Awards Committee, Hon. Steven Masiga, the planned recognition is intended to appreciate individuals within Uganda’s justice system who played a role in promoting mediation, reconciliation and alternative dispute resolution in the long-running Bamasaaba cultural leadership dispute.

Masiga said the institution’s leadership is satisfied with the outcome of the reconciliation process, which he said enabled the Bamasaaba community to move away from prolonged litigation and towards peaceful settlement of their differences.

He explained that the disputes were handled within the framework of reconciliation, African jurisprudence and relevant provisions of the Constitution of Uganda, particularly Article 126(2)(d) and (e), which provide for justice to be administered without undue regard to technicalities and recognise reconciliation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

According to Masiga, mediation was particularly important because the cultural disputes had generated numerous court cases, creating the possibility of prolonged legal battles and significant financial costs for the parties involved.

“There were over 100 cases listed before court for litigation. These were going to tear us apart, with losing parties being told to pay costs to the winning party,” Masiga said.

He added that the use of mediation helped prevent the disputes from escalating further and allowed members of the community to pursue reconciliation rather than continue adversarial legal proceedings.

Judicial Officials Listed for Recognition

Masiga said the proposed list of officials to be honoured includes former Chief Justice His Lordship Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo, current Chief Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, and former Deputy Chief Justice His Lordship Richard Butera.

Other proposed recipients are Principal Judge Her Ladyship Justice Jane Frances Abodo, Justice Andrew Khaukha and His Worship Fred Waninda.

The institution also intends to recognise former Solicitor General Francis Atwooki and former Law Council President Counsel Francis Gamara.

Masiga said the proposed recipients were selected because of what the cultural institution considers their contribution to reconciliation and the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in addressing the Bamasaaba cultural dispute.

He particularly commended Justice Abodo and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) team, led by Justice Khaukha, for their continued involvement in efforts to find a peaceful solution.

“Special thank you to Her Ladyship Jane Frances Abodo and the entire ADR desk led by Justice Khaukha and the group,” Masiga said.

Masiga Credits Judiciary for Saving Community from Costly Litigation

Masiga said the intervention by the judiciary helped the Bamasaaba community avoid potentially enormous legal expenses that could have resulted from pursuing the numerous cases through conventional litigation.

He said the institution considers mediation a more suitable approach for disputes that threaten to divide communities because it gives parties an opportunity to reach mutually acceptable solutions while preserving relationships.

“Judiciary saved Bamasaaba people from spending billions of shillings in legal costs,” Masiga said, adding that the alternative dispute resolution process helped prevent the cultural differences from becoming a permanent source of division.

Masiga further revealed that he personally brought the matter to the attention of the judiciary after petitioning the former Chief Justice during an Alternative Justice System training session at Munyonyo.

He said that even after Owiny-Dollo left the judiciary, efforts to resolve the dispute continued, eventually contributing to the reconciliation process.

“I am happy to report that I brought this to the attention of the judiciary and agreed with them that indeed mediation is the panacea to such disputes,” Masiga said.

Cultural Institution to Hold Recognition Ceremony

Masiga said the proposed medal recipients will be formally presented to the Secretariat of the Bamasaaba Cultural Institution for consideration and minute-taking before the final recognition ceremony.

He said the Prime Minister of the Bamasaaba Cultural Institution, Rt. Hon. Dr. Paul Mwambu, together with the institution’s cabinet, is expected to participate in the ceremony.

According to Masiga, the cabinet will move a motion to formally recognise the individuals as “gallant Ugandans” whose efforts contributed to the restoration of peace within the Bamasaaba community.

He said the institution will not only recognise those who helped resolve the dispute but also extend recognition to individuals who may previously have disagreed with the institution’s leadership, saying the focus is now on reconciliation and rebuilding unity.

“We shall also recognise those we disagreed with, since we are now brothers and sisters,” Masiga said.

Masiga Hopes for Recognition of His Own Efforts

Masiga, who also chairs the institution’s Awards Committee, said he was pleased that his efforts towards resolving the cultural leadership dispute had been documented in both print and other media platforms.

He jokingly added that if the judicial officials are pleased with his contribution, he could also be considered for a medal at an appropriate time.

“If their Lordships are pleased at an appropriate time, they will also reward me with a medal for my efforts,” he said.

He maintained that the ultimate achievement was not the recognition itself but the restoration of peace among the Bamasaaba.

Masiga said the planned awards are therefore intended to celebrate individuals who chose reconciliation over confrontation and helped the community find a peaceful way forward.

The Bamasaaba Cultural Institution now hopes that the planned recognition ceremony will further strengthen reconciliation and encourage the use of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms whenever future cultural or community disputes arise.