The effectiveness of legal aid mechanisms in providing access to justice for the economically disadvantaged in Uganda

Abstract

In its entirety, the law as established in different equitable societies is designed to ensure access to justice for all persons irrespective of their social background, status, economic standing and any other distinctions. Despite this, a class of people grouped under the umbrella of “economically disadvantaged” constantly struggle to gain access to adequate and equitable access to appropriate justice. In a bid to address the afore-mentioned challenge, various legal aid mechanisms are put in place to bridge the gap in-question. However, the effectiveness of these mechanisms has constantly been questioned as they have been criticized for being inefficient and difficult to access. This study seeks to critically assess the effectiveness of legal aid mechanisms in line with their facilitation of access to justice, with the aim of not only identifying systematic weaknesses as well as their causes, but also proposing practical solutions and possible areas of reform.