Over 3,500 cases were heard by the judiciary through the 'plea bargain' by end of December 2016. Plea bargain is a system that allows a suspect to plead guilty in exchange for a lenient sentence.
Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine who has been the top advocate for the system says that the programme, since its launch two years ago, has proved to be cost effective and helped to de-congest prisons.
According to Justice Bamwine, the over 3,500 cases have been heard across the country in over 35 sessions, and during each plea bargain session at least 100 cases are heard, while government spends up to 40 million Shillings only.
Justice Bamwine says the arrangement has also saved the government over two billion Shillings that would have been spent in the usual court processes.
He was interacting with the media after a closed door meeting with inmates of Kirinya Prisons and Jinja Main Prison about the plea bargaining process and how it benefits them on Wednesday.
Bamwine said that inmates of both prisons who have gone through this programme challenged the process citing delayed appeals, inmates being given sentences that they did not bargain for, misplaced files and delayed justice.
He however noted that although the arrangement can help solve most of these challenges in courts, judiciary lacks enough man power to work effectively.
