COURT REGISTRARS have been urged to promote justice through exhibiting high levels of professionalism. The call was made by the Chief Justice Prof. Sam Rugege on Thursday while closing a two-day retreat that brought together 270 registrars from courts across the country. The retreat was an opportunity for registrars to discuss the Ndi Umunyarwanda initiative where different experts shared the programme’s context and the role of court registrars in rebuilding a united and reconciled country. “We talked about ethics of registrars, how they should behave, the kind of values that should characterise a registrar; integrity, self esteem, humility and respect for all litigants,” Rugege told The New Times after closing the retreat. The retreat followed a similar one for judges held earlier this year. He added that registrars have to work hard to develop the country. The registrars also discussed ways of making the registry more efficient in the scheduling and preparation of cases before they are passed on for judgement. They were also urged to play a role in encouraging litigants resolve their disputes out of court. Rugege said this would help minimise the backlog of cases as well as help build a harmonious society. “When people resolve a dispute without having to go through the court process, they go back to the community as better people. Otherwise if they go to a judge, one will have to lose to the others which only exercebates the differences they already have.” Camarade Ndizeye, the Ngoma District court registrar, said such retreat was vital as it provided them a platform to discuss ways to promote unity and reconciliation.
