The Chief Justice, Alphonse Owiny Dollo has hailed the deceased Court of Appeal Justice, Kenneth Kakuru as a rare breed of person who spoke his mind loud and clear.
“Justice Kakuru will forever be remembered for a number of things, most especially his tough character. Kakuru called a spoon a spoon, not a small spade. He was an exemplary leader and a resilient manager who moved things and produced results before demanding the same from other members of the team. He was fearless and incorruptible and spoke his mind loud and clear. He was also social, kind-hearted, loving and humorous,” Dollo said.
He was on Thursday speaking during a special court sitting organized in honour of the deceased judge.
Dollo said the character of Justice Kakuru will forever be missed.
“His laudable decade-long service in the Judiciary leaves a trajectory of impeccable character, sound output and inherent commitment to duty. Before I became Chief Justice, I worked with Justice Kakuru in the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court, but his commitment to duty and resounding output left us awed and wondering whether Kakuru ever slept,” Dollo eulogized.
“When I became DCJ I appointed him to head the case management function and oversee the functionality of the registries at the Court of Appeal. He was able to bring order and helped the Court to substantially fight case backlog. We shall greatly miss you, Justice Kakuru.”
The Deputy Chief Justice, Richard Buteera described the deceased as a selfless person .
“He exceeded his call of duty. Using his own money, he bought shelves for the criminal registry at the court. He bought trolleys to enable staff move bulk court documents to chambers and court. He carried no grudges; no ill feelings or malice. Justice Kakuru worked for the welfare of staff at the Court of Appeal,”Buteera said.
The deceased’s daughter, Samantha Kakuru Mwesigwa said her father loved and was passionate about the law but above all loved seeing litigants get justice.
Shs800m spent to treat him
The Chief Justice said government did everything within its means to save the life of deceased justice of the Court of Appeal.
He said when Justice Kakuru applied for early retirement, he declined to allow him retire for fear of making him redundant.
“It is true that Justice Kakuru applied for early retirement. I informed the President he had applied for early retirement through me but I told him I had declined to send it to him. Why? Because I knew he was a workaholic and would die much sooner in retirement. Together with the Permanent Secretary, we ensured that he got the best treatment both in Uganda and abroad,”Dollo said.
“Collectively, the government of Uganda and the Judiciary spent Shs800 million to treat Justice Kakuru.”
