Ms Rweju (standing) during the sensitization exercise at Buganda Road
Buganda Road court become the ninth Court to benefit from the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) awareness exercise.
Part of the activities lined to ensure a smooth transition to ECCMIS are extensive hands on trainings, CCAS data cleaning, ICT Infrastructure, change management and review of the legal framework.
The digital court system that will be rolled out in November is targeting 19 courts in its first phase before it is rolled out countrywide.
ECCMIS is expected to facilitate a clear flow of the case without unnecessary interaction between litigants and court staff. In turn, court premises will be decongested;as fewer people will be physically tracking their cases.
Ms Julian Rweju, Judiciary's ICT Technical advisor, who is facilitating the ECCMIS sensitization drive, said that there is need to utilize digital systems as courts adjust to the new normal because of Covid-19.
"We(the courts) need to embrace technology and move forward with the rest of the world", she said.
Adding:"it's not only going to be easy for you to do your work, but also for clients since they can file from anywhere at any time. "You don’t need to wait for traffic jam to reach Court and file."
She pointed out that no jobs will be lost because of the digital migration. "There is no need to fear for the loss of your jobs. Actually, there is more work todo because the system needs many background check ups. Even cashiers will do for us more on reconciling payments with Uganda Revenue Authority as opposed to collecting revenue.
On whether the system will cater for local languages, Ms Rweju emphasized that the official language of Court is English which will be maintained. She said court clerks/interpreters would continue with their work of interpreting court users.
Challenges such as unreliable ICT infrastructure, public attitude to change, and inconsistent power supply and population illiteracy are being addressed. Ms Rweju said that they have already lined up mitigation measures such as ICT infrastructure developments, extensive trainings, and usage of alternative power sources such as solar to ensure the system works seamlessly.
The Government, Judiciary Top Management and technical staff are supporting the System to ensure that it improves the court experience.
Posted 23rd, September 2020
