Prospects of having government prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who are currently on strike, return to work continue to diminish.
The group on Thursday rejected government’s pleas to suspend their crippling industrial action, which has dragged on for three weeks.
These want their salaries increased, and their general working conditions bettered.
The leaders of the prosecutors yesterday held a closed door meeting in Kampala, with Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon Kahinda Otafiire.
In this meeting, Minister Otafiire requested them to return to work and allow government one month to look into their concerns.
According to Aliwali Kizito, the spokesperson of Uganda Association of Prosecutors (UAP), the representatives in the meeting flatly turned down this proposal and agreed to push on with the strike until their issues are worked upon by the government.
The association chairman Baxter Bakibinga three weeks ago, announced that the prosecutors were resuming their sit down strike after the 90 days they had given government to work on their issue elapsed.
The strike has affected Police stations were officers are stranded with suspects whose files are ready for court. Courts too are stuck with criminal cases at hearing stage, while the Prisons Service is grappling with overcrowding and overstretched resources.
Last week, the Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine informed us that the strike presented a devastating impact, and that they were planning on seeking a supplementary budget.
