By KT Reporter
The Deputy Chief Justice, Richard Buteera, has called for increased funding to improve the operations of the Court of Appeal, which handles cases from across the country. Speaking at the kickoff of a criminal appeals session at the Jinja High Court on Monday, Buteera explained that the Court of Appeal operates through three panels handling appeals from various regions.
“Court of Appeal consists of three panels, mandated with handling matters of appeal arising from different parts of the country,” Buteera said, highlighting the strain on the court’s current staffing levels.
The ongoing criminal appeals session, presided over by Lady Justice Hellen Obulu, Justice Asa Mugenyi, and Justice Christopher Gashirabake, will address 28 appeals. Of these, 15 are related to defilement, seven to murder, and three each to rape and robbery.
Buteera expressed concern about the backlog of criminal appeals dating as far back as 2010, attributing the delay to limited resources and staffing. “With increased funding, we will be able to increase on the number of judges at the appellant court and overly increase on the number of sessions undertaken annually,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of decentralizing appeal sessions. “Having appeals at regional levels is geared towards easing access to justice for the appellants, some of whom are constrained with appealing through a centralized system,” Buteera said.
Looking forward, Buteera noted, “Priority on their next year’s agenda is to identify areas with high case backlogs, assign judges to lighten this burden, which will overly foster timely delivery of justice for the parties involved.”
He also praised past initiatives aimed at reducing backlogs. “In one instance, 10 courts were able to handle 254 cases in five days,” he said, urging court officials to prioritize plea bargaining for criminal cases and alternative dispute resolution for civil matters.
Martin Asingwire, representing the Uganda Law Society, pointed out the difficulties faced by state-brief advocates, including low allowances. “These financial constraints limit their interactions with clients, since they require facilitation to foot transport expenses,” Asingwire said.
He added, “Such appeal processes require reasonable stationery and internet to facilitate the matter. However, due to meager resources, the advocates are constrained.”
Responding to these concerns, Buteera assured that the advocates’ resource envelope would improve with increased funding. However, he urged advocates to uphold high standards of professionalism. “Appellant advocates should exercise professionalism while representing clients on state briefs, irrespective of the underlying constraints, as such virtues foster justice for all,” Buteera said.
Lady Justice Winifred Nabisinde, the resident judge at Jinja High Court, highlighted issues with unstable optical fibers, which hinder the efficiency of the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS). “We are liaising with neighboring state-manned entities like the Jinja District Local Government headquarters and the Bank of Uganda Currency Center to synergize and strengthen our electronic systems,” Nabisinde said.
She also stressed the need to strengthen court security. “The chain link is worn out and easily penetrable by wrong-minded individuals, and I think it is high time we had a wall fence,” she said.
Despite these challenges, Nabisinde assured stakeholders of the court’s commitment to serving the public effectively. “We have not registered any incidences so far, but advanced security systems like bomb detectors would overly increase efficiency,” she added.
The criminal appeals session marks a concerted effort by the judiciary to address systemic challenges and improve access to justice-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
