Incubatee - Esther Venus Nantongo, Secure by Law.

                                                                                         
SECURE BY LAW.
Security is the freedom from harm, danger, or exposure to like vices.
•    National laws are a fundamental tool in ensuring holistic security by way of mutual fairness between citizens and adjudicators.
•    Such laws stipulate personal social obligations and respective rights.
•    Acquainting oneself with such saves you from court episodes being charged or defending your peace.

Since my childhood, I have loved vindication for someone in any situation of argument especially where I thought that person was not being fairly heard, or was being taken advantage of. This love attracted me into law school where I discovered that the fairness and justice I want so much for myself and others can be realized through use of the law, should one know and understand its application.
 I realized that the major element prohibiting Ugandans from enjoying justice is the lack of knowledge and understanding of the existing laws. The laws are not only in place to RIGHT wrongs, but also to help Ugandans know their rights and what they should do to enjoy them (obligation to the neighbor and the country). Thus I strongly believe that all Ugandans MUST know the law before setting out to relate or deal or transact in any situation: not after. The law highlights our social rights and responsibilities so as to aid crime prevention, it protects our person and belongings, defends our rights, and make better cases. This is what qualifies the law to be fair and just.
With this understanding, I now strongly believe that all Ugandans must be availed with knowledge of the law and helped to understand its application in their various situations.

WHY MUST WE KNOW?
Because such knowledge will give us power to navigate through the horrible reality of affairs prevailing today in our country and get us to a place where;
•    We can best defend our rights and carry out our obligations from a point of clarity.
•    There is dependability on the law wrought by fairness measured out by those who adjudicate such law on our behalf.
•    There is shared trust in the systems of governance executing fairness for citizens and guests alike.
When we come to this place, we shall not be afraid of exploitation or manipulation. We shall be assured and safe.
 And here-in is my dream for my country, a secure people enjoying fairness by Law!

However, the realities of our present are gruesome indeed.
1.    Those with knowledge prefer to conceal it, or manipulate it to best serve them.
2.    Those with power are masters in twisting the law in an outright exploitation of masses who don’t understand these laws furthering their unlawful gains.
3.    The law is only interpreted and brought to people’s attention when either after being nabbed by police, or summoned in court usually when it’s too late.
4.    The laws available and known to us like the constitution are so complex, full of terminologies a common Ugandan wouldn’t understand.
5.    Corruption in the systems responsible for adjudicating law is appalling rendering it all a failure; one that cannot be trusted.
We must take steps as Ugandans to combat these realities and stop entertaining any form of passiveness towards it, it only empowers our abusers.

WHAT WE MUST DO.
1.    Seek to know the law. Because it is fundamental to our security and justice.
2.    Educate ourselves. Buy and learn what the law says and make relevance of it in your situation.
3.    Apply what you have learned. Have proper documents, make wills, have agreements signed and witnessed, keep important receipts of payment in transactions, etc
4.    Share your found knowledge, your experience story with the law, the successes, frustrations and failures in any way you can.

In this regard I choose to share my knowledge of the law by writing what I know in a simplified form. Create a blog about it publicly for all masses who can access such platforms.
I implore you to join me in this cause by utilizing this blog to share what you know, your stories and experiences. Let us help others find it easier to deal.
I charge fellow learned friends concerned for our country to rise to the challenge.
Let us simplify the legal language for our fellow citizens, make the law clearer, interpret and translate it in all local languages to help everybody know and understand.
It is our collective responsibility to educate our children and raise them up with an appreciation of the law and how to use it to protect them in our absence.

SUCH ENLIGHTENMENT AVAILS US WITH POWER TO INFLUENCE THE MAKING OF GOOD LAWS THAT SERVE ALL OF US, AND INFLUENCE THE EXCLUSION OF BAD LAWS.
                      FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.