The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Persons with visual impairments have asked the Land Reform Commission to braille all laws related to land ownership just as they have done for the Constitution.
Braille is a code made up of six raised dot patterns that are read through the movement of fingertips from across the lines by people who are blind or who have low vision.
Francis Kinubi, the Chairperson of Uganda National Association for the Blind (UNAB), told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that they have asked the Law Reform Commission to ensure that Ugandan laws especially the Land Act are brailed to enable visually impaired persons to acquaint themselves with the necessary legal knowledge.
He added that many persons with visual impairments are being victimized because they cannot read and grasp land laws in their current state.
“We have raised a concern to Uganda Law Reform Commission that we need brailed laws on land. Our people are being affected by land grabbing and they don’t know their rights. We need brailed land laws as soon as possible,” Kinubi said.
The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) report of 2020 shows over 4.2 billion Shillings was lost in fraudulent land transactions. At least 319 cases were reported last year and 42 land titles fraudulently taken were recovered.
The request comes after the Uganda Law Reform Commission started distributing the brailed constitution to among other institutions the Uganda Police Force.
Assistant Inspector General of Police, Andrew Soroweni, who is working with LRC on behalf of the Inspector General of Police Okoth Ochola said several copies of brailed Constitution and other laws will be supplied to police stations so that people with visual impairments would read and understand the offences they are being accused of committing.
“It is important because police officers must also know that people including the blind have rights. Police officers must use these books to handle cases of people with visual impairments,” AIGP Soroweni said.
Tessa Kawooya, a senior legal officer with the Law Reform Commission said they will traverse the various parts of the country distributing copies of braille and translated copies of the Constitution. Kawooya adds that even other laws will be brailed and translated so that people can read and have knowledge on how to acquire justice.
“We have been moving across the country. We have brailed the Constitution to cater for those with visual impairments. We are hopeful it will enable them access to justice and promote rule of law,” Kawooya said.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) report of 2019, shows that the population of persons living with a disability is higher for males than for females for young age groups of 2-4 years. A total number of males aged 2-14 years with a disability stood at 415,000 while females of the same age bracket stood at 372,000.
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