Hearing of 36 criminal appeals session commences in Mbarara

Mbarara, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Court of Appeal on Monday commenced five days of criminal appeals session in Mbarara, to determine cases of 36 appellants convicted of manslaughter, murder, aggravated defilement, aggravated robbery, and rape.

Some of the criminal appeals were filed from as far back as 2011.

The session was formally flagged off by the Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera at Mbarara main prison.

The Court of Appeal session will be handled by Justices Fredrick Egonda-Ntende, Catherine Bamugemereire, and Christopher Madrama.

Justice Fredrick Egonda-Ntende, the chairperson of the Coram says the rights of the appellants have been violated since the Judiciary can’t speed up the hearing of the cases.

He says the delay puts a shame on the nation which is not able to live up to the standard requirements of the constitution.

Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera says the country still faces congestion in prisons as the biggest challenge but the Judiciary is trying its best to work on it as one of  measures to solve the problem.

Justice Buteera blamed the congestion and failure to expeditiously dispose of the cases to lack of enough judicial officers, funds and facilities for quick trials beginning with the lowest courts.

Buteera however says the judiciary has a program to increase the number of judges beginning with the lowest courts.

He says that the program will see the numbers of judges rise from 56 to 150 at the high court, and 14 judges at the Court of Appeal to 56, and also move the courts from being just in Kampala to having regional courts.

Justice Jane Frances Abodo, the Director of Public Prosecutions asked the Deputy Chief Justice to consider also having plea bargaining in the lower courts noting that this will have an effect on the congestion problem.

Innocent Draville, the officer-in-charge of Mbarara main prison which has 2,415 inmates notes that the number is massive compared to the size of the prison that is supposed to accommodate only 323 inmates.

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