Hon. Lady Justice Monica Mugenyi
Supreme Court's Lady Justice Monica Mugenyi chaired the first meeting of the new Judiciary Integrity Committee at the Supreme Court in Kampala. The meeting aimed to review the Committee's functions and outline activities to create awork plan.
Lady Justice Mugenyi highlighted the Committee's key roles, which include promoting integrity among judiciary staff, popularizing the Uganda Code of Judicial Conduct and the Public Service Code of Conduct, and fostering cooperation with institutions like the Inspectorate of Government.
She also noted that the Committee would conduct nationwide visits to ensure compliance with these codes.
Justice Mugenyi also emphasized the importance of members understanding the regulations guiding the Committee's establishment, as they are essential for promoting ethical conduct.
She pointed out that while some of the Committee's activities would take place at the head office, others require field visits. Additionally, she suggested updating the 2003 code of conduct to align with international standards.
Justice Mugenyi stressed the need for the Committee to develop short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals in the work plan as well as consider merging the Public Service Code of Conduct with the Judiciary Service Code to address the needs of both judicial and non-judicial staff.
During the meeting, members discussed the importance of reviewing the current Judiciary Strategic Plan, set to expire in 2025, which incorporates core values like integrity and actions against corruption.
The meeting also discussed the relationship between the Integrity Committee and the Inspectorate of Courts. They talked about the role of peer committees, which are going to be organized by region and court level, and suggested improving their structure and coordination.
Members proposed activities including sensitization efforts, working with the Inspectorate of Courts and the Communications and Public Relations Registry to gather feedback, and benchmarking against other institutions to understand best practices. Members proposed focusing on areas identified through these sources and prioritizing nationwide visits based on this information.
They also emphasized the need for meetings with stakeholders and how to coordinate these with nationwide visits. Additionally, they proposed printing and distributing the Codes of Conduct and Information, Education and Communication(IEC) materials during the visits.
Members of the committee who were present included Lady Justice Irene Mulyagonja (Court of Appeal), Justice Michael Elubu (Head of Criminal Division), HW Ssali Harriet Nalukwago (Registrar, Supreme Court), HW Lamunu Pamella Ocaya (Inspector of Courts), HW Ereemye Jumire James Mawanda (Registrar, Communications and Public Relations), HW Rukundo Allen Owembabazi (Registrar, Court of Appeal) and Ms. Sheila Wamboga (Principal Communications Officer).
Posted 11th, September 2024
