Seated, (L-R): Hon. Justice Richard Buteera, Deputy Chief Justice with The African Legal Information Institute (AfricanLII) Director, Ms Mariya Badeva
Tuesday January 23, 2024: The African Legal Information Institute (AfricanLII) Director, Ms Mariya Badeva paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Richard Buteera,at the Court of Appeal in Kampala.
AfricanLII is a programme of the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit at the University of Cape Town's Department of Public Law, that assists governments, academia, and private organizations in publishing African country laws for long-term open access. It convenes a network of 16 African LIIs including the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII).
The purpose of the visit was to enhance the connection between AfricanLII and ULII to streamline law reporting with the goal to improve and expand Uganda's jurisprudence information sharing in legal research.
The Deputy Chief Justice appreciated ULII's enhancements and tools, notably Artificial Intelligence, anticipating substantial support for Judicial Officers in simplifying their work.
He noted that autonomy for ULII would benefit everyone, supporting the idea of it becoming a registry or having increased facilitation.
He said also emphasized the importance of improving staff training to enhance ULII utilization across all stations. He further highlighted that numerous stations, particularly in remote areas, face challenges accessing facilities, making ULII utilization difficult.
Hon. Justice Kiryabwire emphasized the significance of enhancing ULII through value addition, including integration with the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS).
He stressed the need for granting autonomy to ULII, providing it with a dedicated registry with Judicial Officers and support staff.
Hon. Justice Kiryabwire also underscored the problem of delayed submission and retention of judgments, emphasizing the need for timely submissions following the delivery of judgments to ensure they are uploaded on ULII.
Later, the team also paid a courtesy call on the Acting Principal Judge, Hon. Justice Musa Ssekaana. Hon. Justice Ssekaana emphasized the importance of making ULII user-friendly for both Judicial Officers and litigants, underscoring its potential impact.
Highlighting increased reliance on technology during COVID-19, Hon. Justice Ssekaana advocated for a simplified ULII to enhance performance, calling for the availability of ULII tools for Judicial Officers, considering their uniform targets whether they are in Kampala or upcountry.
Hon. Justice Ssekaana also noted that implementing these improvements in ULII would be beneficial for both legal professionals and other court users.
Ms. Badeva highlighted AfricanLII's dedication to supporting ULII users such as Judicial Officers, legal reporting officers and litigants by enhancing ULII's user-friendliness through various tools, streamlining access to judgments.
She highlighted some of the strategic initiatives which include citations and summarizing all ULII judgments for increased effectiveness.
Ms. Badeva also urged the Judiciary to back ULII's innovative proposals, seeking support to enhance ULII's popularity and provide training to judicial officers for effective research and use of the platform.
Present were HW Dr.Mushabe Alex Karocho (Private Legal Secretary to the DCJ), HW Mulalira Faisal Umar (Acting Deputy Registrar JTI), and Marina Chindia (Project Manager, Laws. Africa),among others.
Posted 23rd, January 2024
