Are you getting the best out of Africa's legal systems?

[Personal details removed by Moderator]This debate will be quite an interesting one and I think this is the second time I'm commenting on legal system on Africa HYS.Are you getting the best out of the legal systems? I will say no on my own behalf and on behalf of those that the law is not treating them fairly especially those in our various prisons in the country.We always hear "equality before the law" but I don't see how the law equalizes it!There should be some form of justice in our legal systems since we live in a society that are binded by laws and we can't say that we will not be part of it. It's quite incredible to hear that and I hope on the programme most of our questions will be addressed or solved because our rights are being infriged upon

As a law student myself, I see litigation in a court of law as an over priced method of resolving disputes, which can only be afforded by people with deep pockets; and therefore, leaving the less fortunate with no option better to put up with their grievances. So my question to any legal expert on this planet would be; Is the concept of the so called "Rule of Law" (i.e. everyone is subjected to the same law regardless of their status) truly fair? I asked this question because I believe the laws of any country ought to protect the vulnerable people (children, poor etc)of our societies.

Not at all, legal services are to expensive. i currently have an issue with one of the nigerian banks who siezed my money. since i cannot get a lawyer the issue is hanging, i dont know what to do. BBC pls can you help?

Kenya recently enacted a new constitution which, unlike the retired one, explicitly promises to protect the rights of all citizens in the Bill of Rights chapter. But coming from where the legal system was completely dysfunctional as far as the poor were concerned, most of us are yet to understand what these newly acquired rights mean. The best way to learn what it means would be finding it the hard way - get arrested for nothing and then observe how the new laws have been taken up by the police force, ah, sorry now they are referred to as the police service!
My questions for the panel are:
(a)How come the rich seem to benefit from legal system more than the poor? and (b)The languages that the laws are written in always seem to be contested as to what they mean. Is this a deliberate technique or lawyers just become to clever for the written word?

Well knows quite a bit also leave with one for my wife is a Lawyer

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I am really sad I missed this debate. Nevertheless, I can loudly say that I am not getting the best out of Africa's legal systems. I will focus on Uganda's legal system though. The legal system in Uganda has been transformed to benefit 'the chosen few'. The laws are now used to entrench what I call bad ideas for a growing nation like Uganda. And I blame the political leaders, all they think about is themselves. Take for example, amending the 1995 Uganda Constitution to remove presidential term limits, having in place investment laws that benefit 'foreigners' and not the locals, human rights laws that are not implemented....
It gets worse especially knowing that I participate in drafting such 'bad' laws.....the story goes on.....

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