Use of technology for better dispensation of justice, solutions to common problems like prison congestion and case backlog in courts, as well as improving collective jurisprudence are some of the key topics that East African countries should come together to discuss, key judicial officials have said. ALSO READ: Retention: Rwf9.7bn needed to raise judicial personnel salaries Last week, Justice Olive Kazaarwe Mukwaya, the President of Uganda Judicial Officers Association, had a trip to Rwanda during which she pointed out the benefits of collaboration among respective judicial sectors of East African countries, for better dispensation of justice to people. While in Rwanda, she met with Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, and discussed a number of issues focusing on the need for collaboration among countries' judicial sectors. “We had very useful talks about the state of the judiciary generally, in terms of reforms that are happening, the use of IT, better access to justice, and things like that. But more importantly, one of the key things I heard from him is that he is open to the collaboration among the partner states on judicial matters,” she told The New Times. ALSO READ: How judiciary is tackling case backlog, maintaining quality justice Her trip to Rwanda was part of a wider tour she held around various East African countries after assuming the new responsibilities at the helm of the association. Harrison Mutabazi, the president of Rwanda Judicial Officers Association told The New Times that sharing best practices from respective East African countries is “very pivotal’ in helping local jurisdictions improve access to justice to the people that they account to and discussing issues that are common in East Africa including backlog and congestion in prisons, as well as learning from each other in regards to use of technology in the judicial sector. “We are thinking about benchmarking; that is one of the things we are going to be working on. For example, countries have started using electronic case management systems. In Rwanda we are using them, in Tanzania they are using them, and in Kenya too. So, Uganda can learn from us,” he noted. He also pointed out that Rwanda can learn from Uganda in regards to the use of precedents, a practice that Rwanda has only started recently. “We have started using precedents but it has not been our law in the past. So, we can benchmark from Uganda; we can benchmark from Kenya; we can benchmark from Tanzania and elsewhere,” he noted. ALSO READ: Judiciary saves Rwf9 billion through mediation Justice Kazaarwe noted that during the talks she had with Chief Justice Ntezilyayo, they discussed access to justice in the region, as well as the new reforms that are being undertaken in various countries. “He knows that there are gains that can be made especially around our collective jurisprudence. He said there was rich jurisprudence when the community existed the first time before its collapse. Now the challenge for us as partner states is to see that the jurisprudence rises to that level where it was,” she told The New Times.
