JUDICIARY Latest Features

(L-R): Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire (Court of Appeal), Dr. Pius Bigirimana (The Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Judiciary), Lady Justice Bamugemereire (Chairperson)

Supreme Court's Lady Justice Dr. Catherine Bamugemereire (Justice Supreme Court)chaired the inaugural Human Capital Development, Gender and Equity Mainstreaming Committee meeting at the Supreme Court, Judiciary Headquarters, Kampala.

The meeting aimed to discuss how the Committee will carry out its functions.

Lady Justice Bamugemereire congratulated the members on being part of the Committee, emphasizing that it is the first of its kind, established under the Administration of the Judiciary Act. She described human capital as the skills, knowledge, and education employees bring to their roles.

Justice Bamugemereire explained that the Committee will handle various aspects of human capital, including personnel planning, resourcing, capacity development, performance management, and training. It will also focus on identifying and addressing issues that hinder performance and motivation.

"Our duty will be to advise and oversee gap identification in order to build capacity and ensure the success of human capital," she remarked.

She also highlighted the importance of understanding both judicial and non-judicial human capital and stressed the need to support and develop each element to achieve overall success. The Committee will oversee capacity development, compensation planning, performance management, onboarding, and employee exits among other things.

Regarding gender mainstreaming, she explained that it involves integrating gender equity into all levels of policies, programs, and projects, adding that the Committee will advise and oversee gender equity mainstreaming and address any gaps in this area.

The Chairperson noted that the Committee's role also includes advising the Council on public relations, overseeing the communication strategy, and ensuring effective media representation of the Judiciary. It also approves publicity materials such as leaflets and promotional items and ensures the regular publication of monthly digests, the Judiciary Insider, and Annual Performance Reports. She emphasized the need to discuss how to achieve these goals, acknowledging that while they are outlined in Regulations, implementation requires further discussion.

Dr. Pius Bigirimana, the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Judiciary, emphasized the importance of human resource management, focusing on the components of entry, retention, and exit. He highlighted the need for continuous and well-planned training that aligns with the Judiciary’s goals. Dr. Bigirimana proposed that the Committee identifies training needs and ensures equal opportunities in training.

The Chief Registrar, HW Sarah Langa Siu, provided background on the Committee's formation. She explained that the aim was to streamline and organize responsibilities, shifting from ad hoc committees to a more permanent structure.

She emphasized the importance of clearly defining roles and expectations for each sub-committee, with a structured work plan to guide their tasks. She also proposed a committee calendar be developed to prevent scheduling conflicts and ensure well-coordinated meetings.

The Chief Registrar also shared a vision of empowering the Judicial Training Institute (JTI).

The meeting proposed conducting a comprehensive training assessment, developing a curriculum, and creating a master training calendar. 

They also discussed streamlining Committee functions to avoid overlap, drafting clear Terms of Reference for both the Committee and sub-committees.

The sub-committees proposed under this Committee include are; Human Capital Development, Gender and Equity Mainstreaming and the Public Relations, Communications, and Protocol.

Additionally, members proposed an induction to help familiarize themselves with the Committee. 

The Committee is set to develop a work plan, along with the formation and planning of the subcommittees.

Members of this Committee include; Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire (Court of Appeal), Lady Justice Damalie N. Lwanga (Executive Director, Judicial Training Institute),Justice Eudes Keitirima (Head, Family Division), Justice Dr. Emmanuel Baguma(Deputy Head, Civil Division), Justice Tadeo Asiimwe (Deputy Head, Land Division), and Lady Justice Margaret Mutonyi (Judge, Criminal Division).

The Permanent Secretary, Chief Registrar; Registrars; HW Mary Kaitesi (Registrar Magistrates Affairs and Data Management), HW Lamunu Pamela Ocaya (Inspector of Courts), HW Katushabe Prossy (Registrar, JTI), HW James Ereemye Jumire Mawanda(Judiciary Public Relations Officer), HW Ayebare Thadius Tumwebaze (PrivateLegal Secretary to the Chief Justice), and HW Dr. Mushabe Alex Karocho (PrivateLegal Secretary to the Deputy Chief Justice), Ms. Sheila Wamboga (Principal Communications Officer) are also members.

Ms. Apophia N. Tumwine (Commissioner, Human Resource) is the Secretary of the Committee.

Background

The Human Capital Development, Gender, and Equity Mainstreaming Committee is established under the Administration of the Judiciary (Establishment of Committees) Regulations, 2023.

It is tasked with several key responsibilities. These include advising the Council on terms and conditions of service, training, and development of the staff of the Judiciary Service. It is also responsible for mainstreaming gender within the Judiciary Service by developing a gender diversity strategy, evaluating its implementation and ensuring alignment between the gender diversity strategy and the corporate and human resource strategies.

The committee also advises the Council on corporate, public relations matters to ensure the good image of the Judiciary is maintained.