GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO IMPROVING SERVICE TO CITIZENS
Yesterday, the Minister of Justice Hon. Mulambo Haimbe responded to a question in Parliament raised by Kalabo Central MP Chinga Miyutu who wanted to find out at what intervals local courts, countrywide, receive grants from Government and whether there are any plans to increase the amount allocated to each grant
Below are the highlights:
✅ The Minister disclosed that Government has increased funding disbursed towards local court operations to K1,741, 643.18 from K550,000.00 to ensure smooth dispensation of justice
✅ The local courts receive a sum of K1,741, 643.18 which is sent to all the 10 provinces quarterly. The quarterly funding was previously K550,000 Kwacha and erratic.
✅ Mr. Haimbe said while previous disbursements were erratic, the funds are now received by the local courts consistently and Government will continue to increase the allocation to the judiciary for the purposes of infrastructure buildings and rehabilitation.
✅ He said since the New Dawn took over administration over the past two and half years, his Ministry was striving to improve infrastructure and basic services under the judiciary to deliver justice to citizens.
✅ The New Dawn Government must be commended for increasing the amount threefold from a situation where the entire judicial local court structure was only receiving K500, 000 for operations.
✅ He added that the allocation is consistent and it is distributed to the local courts in an equal and even manner regardless of their location.
✅ Government will always view local courts and the court system generally as important because matters of justice cannot be taken lightly and trivialized.
✅ He said it is for this reason the superior courts will always play their part to ensure that justice is delivered in the criminal justice process and funded accordingly.
✅ Government is aware of the state of the various court infrastructure across the country including the local courts, and the Ministry has recorded an improvement in the last two years and six months from what was there in the past.
✅ Government acknowledges the critical steps taken by some members of parliament where CDF is used to bolster the efforts of the judiciary by constructing some of these facilities.
✅ The judiciary has since increased allocation towards the lower court infrastructure including the subordinate court and the local court.