The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has constituted the Electricity Disputes Tribunal and encouraged Ugandans to embrace the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategy to settle electricity conflicts in the country.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Eng. Pauline Irene Bateebe in her speech read for her by Dennis Kaggwa ,while at the Electricity Disputes Tribunal workshop in Kampala said that as Uganda’s electricity generation capacity grows, more power transmission and distribution networks will be required and the construction of the networks will bring more disputes such as breach of contracts, licensing, environmental among others .
She said there is therefore need for Ugandans to find amicable ways to resolve electricity related disputes and or conflicts in the country .
Batebe applauded the Electricity Disputes Tribunal (EDT) for engaging the stakeholders including lawyers as the energy sector is experiencing significant growth and transformation.
“As the ministry of energy strives to meet the increasing demand for energy there is need to ensure an effective method to resolve disputes” Batebe emphasized .
Silvia Cheptoris ,the registrar at the Electricity Disputes Tribunal, said that ADR is being promoted because it is not only faster in resolving disputes but less costly. She explained that ADR handles specifically mediation or arbitration depending on which alternative is applicable on a specific case.
“Using the ADR method, the ministry of energy has concluded 12 big cases in January and the cases resolved by the electricity Disputes Tribunal could affect the litigants if they were to wait longer or follow the formal hearing of these cases hence need to bring on lawyers and other stakeholders to be trained in ADR” Cheptoris said.
Christine Birabwa Nsubuga from the Practice Conflict Center noted that Alternative Dispute Resolution has been practiced in Uganda even before the coming of the colonialists.
“The future is ADR, where Uganda came from was ADR now what is being done is to restate ADR in Uganda so that we don’t spend a lot of time in court and also reduce the case backlog”,she stated.
