The Resident Judge of Kitgum High Court, Justice Phillip Willbrord Mwaka, has asked the Judiciary and development partners to extend audio-visual conferencing facilities to Gulu Remand Home so as to improve access to justice for juvenile offenders in Northern Uganda.
Justice Mwaka said tha Gulu Remand Home needs to be accorded special status because it covers a wide area extending from the greater Northern Uganda, Karamoja and West Nile regions.“Gulu Remand Home is unique because it covers the whole north, the northeast and the northwest. Individuals from Karamoja, Arua, Lamwo here are basically sent to Gulu Remand Home.
Those are the juveniles, the below 18s,” Mwaka said. Justice Mwaka noted that the Kitgum High Court Circuit currently travels to Gulu every quarter to handle juvenile cases because children in conflict with the law cannot easily be connected to court proceedings remotely.“Our policy here is zero backlog for juveniles. Every three months, we travel to Gulu Remand Home to handle the juveniles. There are about 10 to 15 every quarter,” Justice Mwaka said.
He described the recent installation of a video conferencing system at Kitgum High Court and prisons in Kitgum and Lamwo as a major step in improving efficiency in the administration of justice.Video conferencing systems have already been installed in seven High Court circuits and their respective prisons, including Kitgum, Gulu, Jinja, Mbale and Masaka.
UNDP Resident Representative Nwanne Vwede-Obahor said the installation of video conferencing systems was part of efforts to modernize justice delivery and improve access to justice, especially for women, children and vulnerable groups.“Globally, justice systems are wrapping in emerging digital solutions.
What began being used during COVID-19 has become standard practice in the UN and countries such as the UK, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, India, expanding digital use across the globe. The benefits of video conferencing are clear,” Vwede-Obahor said. The Judiciary’s recent wider digital transformation agenda is aimed at reducing case backlog, improving efficiency and expanding access to justice services across Uganda. URN