The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thirteen complaints are listed for hearing as the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) extends its tribunal services to the Kigezi region. The first tribunal of its kind in this region started on Monday at the Commission offices on Makanga Hill in Kabale District and will continue until Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
The Commission’s Director in charge of Complaints, Investigation, and Legal Services, Ida Nakiganda, provided details about the proceedings. Nakiganda informed our reporter on Monday that of the total complaints, 12 have been filed against government institutions such as the police and Uganda Prisons, with the Office of the Attorney General expected to file the defense. One complaint has been filed against the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
She also mentioned that four cases, which were previously partially heard at the Mbarara Regional Office, were transferred back to the Kabale Regional Office after it became operational in 2021. The Kabale office handles complaints from the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rukungiri, Rukiga, and Rubanda.
Nakiganda added that the tribunal is presided over by Commission Chairperson Mariam Fauzat Wangadya, Chrispine Kaheru, Colonel (Retired) Stephen Basaliza, and Lamex Omara Apitta.
Theopista Twembi, head of the Commission’s Kabale Regional Office, stated that the aim of holding a tribunal in Kabale is to expedite access to justice.
Robert Kakuru Byamugisha, Executive Director of Local Sustainable Communities Organization and Executive Director of Kick Corruption out of Uganda (KICK-U), noted that the extension of tribunal services to the Kigezi region was long overdue, as traveling to Mbarara is both costly and inconvenient.
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