Judiciary stuck with over shs 26 billion in unclaimed bail cash

By Ruth Anderah

The Judiciary has revealed that it is stuck with over Shs26 billion in unclaimed cash bail money.

Addressing the press this morning, the chief registrar Sarah Langa said by the end of last financial year on 30th June 2021, they carried forward unclaimed and security deposits amounting to over twenty six billion, four hundred and forty million shillings. 

She has attributed this to delays in receiving the said funds, failure to recover the money, ignorance to the procedure in recovery and general lack of awareness that cash bail money is recovered when the case is heard and disposed of.

Langa is now reminding the general public that bail money is refundable as long as someone is charged with a criminal offence, granted a cash bail deposited in a bank.

She meanwhile says the Judiciary is currently drafting guidelines to govern those to get bail refunds.

She adds that anyone eligible for a refund must write to the court that granted him or her bail and that bail refund is only refunded through the bank.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna