HW Sarah Langa Siu, Chief Registrar
On Friday March 11, 2022, Registrars gathered at the Judiciary headquarters for a meeting with the Chief Registrar, HW Sarah Langa Siu, to discuss their work as well as challenges they encounter during the execution of their duties.
The Chief Registrar commended them for the hard work at their different stations. She expressed her gratitude to Registrars who handle more than one docket. HW Langa said with the enhanced budget of the Judiciary, improved performance is desired since to whom much is given much is expected.
She noted with concern, failure of some members to hold peer committee meetings, low submission of inspection reports, and the need for training of Registrars on planning and budgeting given their critical role in the same.
The CR appealed to the Registrars to forward to her a list of land matters that involve more than 20 parties indicating the status of the cases.
Concerning the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS), she commended Registrars whose courts are among the first cluster courts to rollout the System. "The System is in a process where we have a lot to learn and unlearn, thank you for sailing the ship in uncharted waters and being the pioneer of a system of our time. Certainly, you will be the ones sharing your experiences with the 11 other phase one courts. No matter the challenges, let's remain focused, we shall overcome," she said.
The discussion rotated around an e-court seal and e-court stamp to show the authenticity of ECCMIS processes to the public and ensure the mandatory opening of ECCMIS accounts for all the advocates. The need for more staff at the kiosks was also highlighted.
The Principal Information and Technology Officer, Mr David Kikabi, encouraged the Registrars to participate in ECCMIS hour (7:30-8:30 am) to help them get in-depth knowledge of the System's functionality. He noted that high traffic courts such as Land Division were chosen to test ECCMIS capabilities and learn through the challenges faced.
Plans are underway to launch the second cluster of courts next month.
On the challenges registered with ECCMIS, it was noted that there were abrupt lockouts of the system, accepted filing without other needed documents.
The Registrars also called for a boost in the locus funds, management of archives and files, lack of space, and the need for well-trained support staff. They also requested to be briefed on what is expected of them during inspections.
In her response, HW Langa informed members that staff capacity building was top on agenda and that the Judicial Training Institute is already training different categories. She called for reports to depict progress and improvements while using pictures for illustration.
HW Ayebare Tumwebaze, the Private Legal Secretary to the Chief Justice, made a presentation on the draft Registries Manual, which is a blueprint for court registries. It outlines the dos and don'ts of a registry and aims at streamlining processes in Registries for purposes of uniformity. The Registrars were encouraged to make comments on the Manual before its validation and launch.
Posted 11th, March 2022
