By KT Reporter
Judicial officers have been asked to live by biblical principles and maintain a high standard of ethics, integrity, and faithfulness while executing their duties.
This was a call by Bishop Joshua Lwere in a sermon at the Second Prayer Breakfast for the Judiciary Christian Fellowship held on Friday at the Supreme Court Conference Hall in Kampala.
Lwere began by commending the Judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, for their bold decision to ban the trial of civilians in military courts.
Bishop Lwere stressed that work is a means of exercising dominion over nature, as stated in Genesis 1:28. He explained that God created humans to have dominion over the earth, and this dominion is exercised through work. He encouraged the judicial officers to have proper work ethics, citing the example of God working for six days and resting for one day (Genesis 2:15).
This, he said, demonstrates that even God values hard work and rest. He said, however, some people want to work only one day in a week and use the rest of the six days for resting, which he noted amounts to cheating and is contrary to God’s principle of work and rest.
The Bishop emphasized that laziness leads to poverty, while diligence leads to wealth, quoting Proverbs 10:4. He urged the judicial officers to be diligent in their work, as it is a key principle for achieving success and prosperity.
Bishop Lwere also preached about the dangers of stealing and corruption, using Ephesians 4:28 as his reference. He explained that stealing is not only taking physical property but also includes cheating, embezzlement, and unfaithful stewardship. He warned that taking what doesn’t belong to you can lead to negative consequences, including accidents, sicknesses, and business losses.
The Bishop illustrated this point with an example of a cheating worker who earns 300,000 shillings per month but wastes two hours every day, equivalent to 1,000 shillings per hour. He calculated that this cheating worker loses 2,000 shillings per day, which translates to 60,000 shillings per month. Bishop Lwere emphasized that this is equivalent to stealing, as the worker is taking money they haven’t earned.
He further emphasized that when you take what doesn’t belong to you, you open yourself up to negative consequences. He cited examples of people who have suffered accidents, sicknesses, and business losses after engaging in corrupt practices simply because God wants them to lose the money they have obtained when they haven’t worked for.
Bishop Lwere warned the judicial officers to desist from unfaithful stewardship, citing 2 Kings 5:15-27. The Bishop further encouraged the judicial officers to work faithfully, accumulate credit, and receive blessings directly or indirectly. He emphasized the importance of going the extra mile, using Psalms 4:1 as his reference.
He asked God to guide and bless the judicial officers and cancel any negative impacts on their lives and families. He prayed that God would release His blessings upon them and guide them in their work.
The Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera emphasized the importance of gratitude and thanksgiving in his presentation. He highlighted that as judicial officers, they have a lot to thank God for, including the gift of life, good health, and protection. Buteera also stressed the significance of wisdom, which enables them to carry out their duties effectively.
He noted that the ratio of gratitude to prayers and petitions should be 1:10, citing Mark 17 11-19. Buteera encouraged the Judiciary family to thank God for His goodness, quoting Psalm 103 and Psalm 100:1-3.
Buteera also outlined the qualities of a good judge, including being capable, God-fearing, trustworthy, and fair. He emphasized the importance of integrity, impartiality, and independence in the Judiciary.
“It is incumbent upon each one of us to constantly pause, reflect and see that we are still in line with the values that qualified us to be appointed Judicial officers. Once that is done, we shall not have complaints of corruption and all these other bad tendencies that make people wonder if we even know God”, said Buteera.
Buteera also asked the public and the Judiciary to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms such as Arbitration, mediation and reconciliation.
“I invite each one of us here to support and implement ADR because, as a Christian, peacemaking is your duty. The duty for Christians to reconcile people is in the Bible. I Corinthians 6:1-7 instructs us as Christians to settle our disputes before taking them to the courts of law”, added Buteera.
The Chief Registrar, Pamela Lamunu Ochaya, expressed gratitude to God for His blessings upon the Judiciary and its staff. Judge Sarah Langa Siu, who is the former Chief Registrar, was recently appointed to the High Court as a Judge also gave thanks for her new title and delivered a special message to the Chief Justice on behalf of the Christian Fellowship of the Judiciary for allowing them to always have quarterly prayer breakfast.
Langa emphasized the importance of continued fellowship and expressed her pleasure with the current state of the Judiciary. She also revealed that the Chief Justice advised having quarterly prayer breakfasts. Additionally, the Judiciary holds annual retreats, where they come together to thank God and seek His guidance-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
