Prosecutors rap government over colleagues increasingly contracting Covid

The Uganda Association of Prosecutors(UAP), the umbrella body that brings together prosecutors in the country has expressed concern over the increased number of their members who are contracting Coronavirus.

UAP is a non-profit organization with a membership comprised of attorneys and prosecutors who prosecute offences across Uganda

In a statement released on Sunday, UAP Secretary-General, Arthurton Kukundakwe said since the onset of the second wave of the pandemic, many prosecutors have contracted the deadly virus while at work noting that some of them have passed on, a situation she said is alarming.

“In the past months, we have regretfully lost our colleague, the late Isaac Omyulo like the state prosecutor based in Mbale who succumbed to Covid on June 18. We have also had Covid cases in many other offices in Rukungiri, Nabweru, Mbarara and  Makindye. This points to more serious issues affecting prosecutors around the country,” Kukundakwe said.

According to UAP, despite calls for protection of prosecutors as frontline workers against the deadly Covid-19, government has not heeded to the same.

“As frontline workers in the justice, law and order sector, we express our disappointment over government’s oversight in catering for the prosecutors in the Covid supplementary budget, a step which has handicapped our members’ operations.”

The prosecutors’ body says budgetary cuts have also affected their work but also impacted on the delivery of criminal justice to the country.

The prosecutors say it is high time government addresses their welfare by starting with a covid risk allowance and provision of personal protective equipment as well as funding their regular operational and logistical requirements.

“We would like to remind government to fulfill all its obligations, commitments and assurances to prosecutors before matters go out of hand.”