SUNDAY, 27th SEPTEMBER 2020: JUSTICE, LAW AND ORDER
PRAYER GUIDE
ISAIAH 51:15-16 (NKJV)
15But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16And I have put My words in your mouth; [Emphasis Added]
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth, [Emphasis Added]
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
JEREMIAH 1:9,10 (ESV)
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
EZEKIEL 37: 3-5, 7, 9, 10
And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, [Emphasis Added] O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live….
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, [Emphasis Added] and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone…
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, [Emphasis Added] Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on
these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, [Emphasis Added] and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
MARK 11:13-14
And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he
came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, [Emphasis Added] “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. [Emphasis Added]
MARK 11:22-24
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, [Emphasis Added] whoever says to this mountain, [Emphasis Added] Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says [Emphasis Added] will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, [Emphasis Added] believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
GUIDING TEXT FOR THE FASTING SEASON
ISAIAH 32:1-8
1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
2A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And a cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
5The foolish person will no longer be called generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
6For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Day |
Day of the Week |
Date |
Area of Focus |
WEEK SIX |
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| 40 | Sunday | 27th September 2020 | Justice, Law and Order |
| 41 | Monday | 28th September 2020 | The Police and LDUs |
| 42 | Tuesday | 29th September 2020 | Prisons and Rehabilitation |
WEEK SEVEN |
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| 43 | Wednesday | 30th September 2020 | The Legislature |
| 44 | Thursday | 1st October 2020 | Political Organizations |
| 45 | Friday | 2nd October 2020 | The Electoral Commission |
| 46 | Saturday | 3rd October 2020 | The Electorate |
| 47 | Sunday | 4th October 2020 | The 2021 Elections |
| 48 | Monday | 5th October 2020 | Post- Election to Swearing-in |
| 49 | Tuesday | 6th October 2020 | Marketplace Restoration |
CONCLUSION |
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| 50 | Wednesday | 7th October 2020 | Dedicating the Decade 2020 -2029 |
| Thursday | 8th October 2020 | Dedicating 2020/2021 | |
| Friday | 9th October 2020 | THANKSGIVING |
DATES TO NOTE
CONCLUDING VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Monday, 5th October to Wednesday, 7th October 2020 (7 pm to 9 pm)
CONCLUDING NIGHT VIGIL & DEDICATION OF 2020/2021
Thursday, 8th October 2020
JUSTICE, LAW AND ORDER
Justice flows from God’s heart and character. He is a God of righteousness and without injustice. It is impossible for God to be unjust – that goes against the very essence of His character. The Bible states that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 97:2, Psalm 89:14). It is not surprising therefore that the scriptures are replete with references to righteousness and justice, which often appear together in the Bible. Social justice was a recurrent theme of the messages of the Old Testament prophets. One of the parameters that the Lord uses in assessing a society is how it renders justice, especially for the poor and defenseless. A major hallmark of the Messianic reign will be universal justice (Psalm 72:1-4).
The quality of justice in any country depends upon the people who administer it. As His representatives on the earth, God requires all at any level of authority to manifest the same attributes He uses, in the exercise of their authority. For earth to mirror heaven, all places of authority must bear the hallmark of righteousness and justice. Only then will His will “be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Though He is a God of mercy, the Scripture are emphatic that He is also a just God who will judge injustice. His people on earth are called to imitate him and stand up against injustice.
The Uganda Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) is large. It includes:
- Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
- The Judiciary
- Judicial Service Commission
- The Directorate of Public Prosecution
- The Law Reform Commission
- The Electoral Commission
- The Uganda Land Commission
- Uganda Registration Services Bureau
- Uganda Human Rights Commission
- Kampala Capital City Council
- The Law Council
- The Law Development Centre
The following institutions and departments are key players in the implementation of legal provisions and administration of justice:
- Uganda Police Force
- Uganda Prison Service
- Inspector General of Government
- Parliamentary Commission
- Ministry of Local Government
- Ministry of Ethics and Integrity
- Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment
- National Environment Management Authority
The Judiciary is one of the three arms of Government. It is vested with judicial authority – the other two being the Executive and the Legislature. It is independent and self-accounting. It is formed by the various courts of judicature, which are independent of the other arms of government. They include the magisterial courts, High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
The doctrine of separation of power suggests that each of the arms of state acts independently of the other. However no democratic system has an absolute separation of powers or an absolute lack of separation of powers. Government powers and responsibilities are complex and tend to overlap. For example there are Ministers who are on the Executive but also sit in Parliament to make laws. Then there is the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs who is the spokesperson of the Judiciary in Parliament. If he or she is a Member of Parliament, they would technically be serving in all three arms of Government at a very senior level.
The Judiciary is a hierarchical organ and has at its apex the Supreme Court of Uganda followed by the Court of Appeal which doubles as the Constitutional Court and the High Court of Uganda. The top administrative structure of the Judiciary consists of the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice and the Principal Judge who provide both administrative and supervisory roles.
The Chief Justice
The Lord Chief Justice is the head of the Judiciary and is responsible for the administration and supervision of all courts in Uganda, and may issue orders and directions to the courts necessary for the proper efficient administration of justice.
Deputy Chief Justice
The Lord Deputy Chief Justice is the head of the Court of Appeal and in that capacity assists the Chief Justice in the administration of that court. The Chief Justice may delegate or assign other functions to the Deputy Chief Justice
Principal Judge
The Lord Principal Judge is the head of the High Court and Subordinate Courts and in that capacity assists the Chief Justice in the administration of the High Court and Subordinate Courts. The Principal Judge also performs other functions as may be delegated or assigned to him/her by the Chief Justice.
The Judges
The President on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission appoints Judges. They are appointed from suitably qualified persons with profound knowledge of law and procedure, coupled with the necessary judicial aptitude and temperament. The person may be an advocate or public officer holding an office for which qualification as an advocate is required, with experience. Most judges have besides their University Law Degrees, previous careers either as magistrates, lawyers or civil servants in the Ministry of Justice.
Judges are superior judicial officers who deal with the business of the superior courts namely the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the High Court. Judges are expected to decide cases, not according to their individual notions of fairness or natural justice, but according to the measure of legal right or wrong, which their technical training enables them to apply.
Registrars
Registrars are appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission and retire after attaining the age of sixty years. The Chief Registrar, who is at the level of Permanent Secretary controls the management team of registrars, and is also the official spokesman of the Judiciary. Registrars are a different cadre of judicial hierarchy below the Judges. Each superior court has its registrar and sometimes a deputy registrar or assistant registrar. Registrars are superior judicial officers with reasonable experience in court work. Registrars are responsible for general administration of courts and arranging trial of cases. They are also responsible for all monies in court and as tax masters, assess costs recoverable by litigants. In addition, registrars enforce judgments of the courts including execution of court orders and decrees.
Magistrates
Magistrates are by far the most numerous and often the public assume that they are higher in rank than registrars. Magistrates serve below judges of the High Court. Magistrates are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission and like registrars retire at the age of sixty years.
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs is responsible for upholding the rule of law, driving forward the legal and justice system, and reforming and safeguarding the Constitution so that it serves the public effectively. The mandate of the ministry is:
“To promote and facilitate effective and efficient machinery capable of providing a legal framework for good governance and delivering legal advice and services to the Government, its allied institutions and the general public”.
Some of the roles of the Ministry include
- Initiating and facilitating the revision and reform of Ugandan laws;
- Providing an effective mechanism for their change;
- Advising the government on all legal matters;
- Drafting all proposed laws and legal documents;
- Instituting or defending civil suits in which Government and/or its allied institutions are party and ensuring that court decisions are satisfied;
- Overseeing the training of Lawyers;
- Promoting legal advice of the constitution, and
- Disseminating legal information to the public.
These are carried out through various directorates and departments of the Ministry such as the Directorate of Civil Litigation. Office of the First Parliamentary Counsel, the Administrator General’s office, and the Office of Legal Advisory Services.
The Directorate of Public Prosecution is a constitutional office that manages criminal offences on behalf of the Government. The Attorney General of Uganda is the principal legal adviser to the Government of Uganda. The office is a cabinet-level government position. The Solicitor General is the Permanent Secretary of Ministry Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
SCRIPTURES FOR PRAYER AND PROCLAMATION
PSALM 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
PSALM 97:1, 2
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
PSALM 72:1 – 4
Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
ISAIAH 32:1-8
Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.
PROVERBS 13:34
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
DEUTERONOMY 32:4
“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without
iniquity, just and upright is he.
ISAIAH 56:1,2
Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast…
PSALM 58:10,11
The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
ISAIAH 42:19
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit
upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
AMOS 5:24
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
ISAIAH 1:17
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the
widow’s cause.
ISAIAH 9:7
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
ISAIAH 30:18
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to
you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
MICAH 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
ISAIAH 61:8
For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
PSALM 37:27-29
Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
PSALM 106:3
Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
ZECHARIAH 7:9
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another,
LEVITICUS 19:15
You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in
righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
PSALM 33:5
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
DEUTERONOMY 16:20
Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that
the LORD your God is giving you.
PROVERBS 21:3
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
JEREMIAH 9:23-24
Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his
might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
DEUTERONOMY 27:19
‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’
And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
PROVERBS 31:8-9
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge
righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
JEREMIAH 22:3
Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
PROVERBS 22:8
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
ECCLESIASTES 5:8
If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them.
WORSHIP THE GOD OF JUSTICE, THE JUDGE OF THE WHOLE EARTH
JUDGES 18:25
…Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
ISAIAH 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
THANK GOD FOR:
- The men and women that are in the Justice, Law and Order Sector
- The innovations in JLOS that have led to an improvement in the managing of the case backlog. JLOS has prioritized and strengthened alternative dispute resolution, introduced plea-bargaining and the automation of courts, as well as the recent innovation of handling cases with prisoners using Internet platforms. These efforts have increased access to justice for the people of Uganda.
- The body of believers that the Lord has positioned in various JLOS institutions and departments; for their heart for service and integrity that draws the righteousness of the Lord into the Sector.
- The Christian NGOs and associations that promote transparency and justice in service delivery.
PROCLAMATION OVER JUSTICE, LAW AND ORDER
A Declaration Of What We Are Praying For And What We See As God Answers Prayer
God is raising leaders across the leadership spectrum in Uganda that are righteous and just. Righteousness, justice, mercy, and truth will be established as the pillars of governance all across
the country.
The Justice Law and Order Sector will be a true reflection of God’s own leadership system that
is founded on righteousness, justice, mercy and truth.
These leaders will be as a hiding place from the wind and a cover from societal storms.
They will be a source of refreshment and renewal for Uganda as rivers of water in a dry place. They will be a covering from the heat just like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. There will be servant leaders that will primarily exercise their leadership as servants of the populace.
They will refuse to surround the places of judicial authority with wicked men and women.
The righteous will flourish in places of judicial authority and Ugandans will rejoice and not mourn
or groan.
Those in judicial authority will be a terror to wrong doers in fulfillment of the mandate given in
Romans 13:3.
They will have the determination to scatter and punish the wicked.
Court cases will be heard, considered, judged and disposed them quickly and fairly in accordance
with the law.
At all levels of the Judicial Branch of Government there will be a hatred for wrongdoing. Those tearing down our nation every day by giving and receiving bribes will be scattered. The wicked that surround places of judicial authority – the corrupt, immoral, murderers, opportunists, idolaters, liars, evil counselors, thieves and all those who do not have the interests of the nation at heart – will be removed.
God will deliver Uganda from wickedness and injustice in the judicial branch of Government. The corridors of power to the Judiciary will be locked up spiritually for those who pervert justice, idolaters; the corrupt; those who practice iniquity and ungodliness; those who
utter error against the Lord; those who scheme evil and devise wicked plans to destroy the poor
with lying words; those who keep the hungry unsatisfied; and those
who cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Rather the generous and upright will stand and the righteous will flourish.
Through the leadership of the Judicial Branch of Government the eyes and ears of Ugandans will
open up so that our eyes will not be dim, neither will our ears be dull.
Those who are rash, careless and ignorant will gain understanding of knowledge, and
the tongue of the stammerers will be trained to speak plainly.
Wisdom and honor will have true meanings in Uganda’s Justice Law and Order Sector.
Generosity will abound.
Foolishness and wickedness will be despised and overthrown.
There will be harmony between the three arms of government: the Executive, the Judiciary and the
Legislature.
Uganda will have an efficient and effective judicial system, accessible to all citizens, respectful of their traditions, mindful of their aspirations, serving them without bias or discrimination, fear or favour.
Ugandans will be known as a country where righteousness and justice dwell
AMEN
