Judiciary Holds Press Conference, Updates the Media and Public on Recent Developments
The Judiciary Public Relations Officer, HW James Jumire Ereemye Mawanda (L), along with HW Nanteza Zulaika (R), Deputy Registrar in charge of Alternative Dispute Resolution
Earlier, the Judiciary Public Relations Officer, HW James Jumire Ereemye Mawanda, along with HW Nanteza Zulaika, Deputy Registrar in charge of Alternative Dispute Resolution, addressed a press conference at the Court of Appeal Boardroom, Judiciary Headquarters, in Kampala.
The Conference aimed to update the public and media on recent developments, achievements, and upcoming initiatives in the Judiciary.
The brief covered recent successes in justice delivery, such as the landmark judgment in the Thomas Kwoyelo case, the success of the Settlement Week promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the outcomes of the Family Justice Summit on family justice issues, and the Judiciary's performance in the Quarter IV Financial Year 2023/2024.
Highlighting the conclusion of the high-profile Kwoyelo case, HW Mawanda noted that the International Crimes Division delivered a judgment on August 13th 2024,convicting Kwoyelo on 44 counts and acquitting him on three counts. Additionally, 31 charges were dismissed.
He informed the media that after the judgment was delivered, both the prosecution and the defense agreed to a status conference scheduled for today. During this conference, the court will establish timelines for filing submissions, addressing aggravating and mitigating factors, and determining the appropriate sentence for Kwoyelo.
Additionally, reports such as a probation report on Kwoyelo's character and victim impact assessment reports from those affected by his actions will be considered before sentencing. The date for sentencing will be communicated after these steps are completed.
The PRO thanked the media for providing extensive coverage and all Stakeholders for their role in bringing the case to a conclusion.
Regarding the Judiciary's Court Performance Report for Quarter IV FY2023/2024, PRO reported that the courts completed 57,735 out of 219,573 cases, achieving a disposal rate of 26.29%.
Grade Two Magistrates' Courts had the highest efficiency with a disposal rate of44.52%, followed by Grade One Magistrates' Courts at 41.4%. Chief Magistrates' Courts disposed of the most cases (30,177), constituting more than half of the total cases disposed of.
HW Nanteza reported that the Case Settlement Week was a success noting that of the840 cases were listed to be handled during the week. Adding that 237 were concluded, unlocking over Shs 2 billion from the courts. She thanked the public and court users for their participation and emphasized the importance of mediation in resolving disputes efficiently.
She said the Judiciary is in the process of revamping its ADR, with a Committee led by the Deputy Chief Justice to ensure that ADR runs alongside normal court processes.
HW Nanteza also informed the press that a review meeting will be held soon to assess the progress and lessons learned from Settlement Week, with the goal of implementing best practices for future programmes.
She highlighted the success of the Family Justice Summit held from August 12th to August 13th, 2024. The event brought together stakeholders from the family justice sector to discuss the use of ADR in resolving family disputes.
HW Zulaika emphasized that ADR should be the first option in family disputes, as it can reduce the workload and backlog in the courts while restoring sanity in families.
She also noted that the Judiciary will continue to adopt ADR as a mechanism for resolving family disputes, with cases that cannot be resolved through these avenues returning to the ordinary trial processes.
The press conference concluded with a Question-and-Answer session, where journalists inquired about specific cases handled through Mediation and the challenges of balancing legal equity in disputes involving cohabiting couples among other topics.
Posted 20th, August 2024
