KAMPALA – The awareness sessions ahead of the implementation of the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) is ongoing and the latest courts to benefit from the exercise are the Civil and Land divisions of the High Court.
On Monday afternoon, Ms Julian Rweju, the Judiciary Technical Advisor on ICT sensitized members of staff from the two courts on what to expect from ECCMIS. This project’s phased implementation is set to begin in November with all courts within Kampala and one upcountry court in Jinja.
“Right now we’re just creating awareness for you people to be ready,” she said adding that the exercise to migrate data from CCAS to ECCMIS will begin in a few weeks’ time. She appealed to the staff for their undivided support if the exercise is to be a success.
ECCMIS is an electronic case management system which will provide a digital platform for a seamless flow of case files from opening to its conclusion. Once in place, all court processes pertaining a case file will be done online and details retrievable by Judiciary staff while litigants will access the system but with limited rights.
Ms Rweju said the security features of this system will help restore public trust in the Judiciary since all activities relating to any file are trackable. “We will be able to know who has done what and when on which file,” she said.
Efficiency, reliability, simplicity and flexibility are some of the major benefits ECCMIS offers since it will allow litigants to file from anywhere and provide for quick payment of court fees. Other benefits include reduction in cost of case management and litigation since there will be less volumes of paper and human interaction needed. All this, Ms. Rweju says, will enable quick settlement of disputes.
She however said although the System will ease and simplify operations in the Judiciary, there are still some hiccups. Inadequate infrastructure, unstable internet connectivity and power, the populace illiteracy, and poor attitude towards change are among the challenges she highlighted.
Ms Rweju said even in the face of these challenges, the Judiciary Top Management is continuously exploring lasting solutions to the challenges. The Rules Committee, on the other hand, is working on the legal framework necessary to support the e-justice system.
“COVID-19 has helped to show many people that we cannot run away from Technology (e-justice),” she pointed out.
The awareness creation program continues today at Family Division in Makindye, and thereafter to all courts in Kampala and Jinja High Court Circuit.
