Judicial officers have been urged to keep abreast of emerging trends in criminal prosecution, particularly the growing use of technology and scientific evidence, to prevent miscarriages of justice.
The call was made on Wednesday by Chief Justice Flavian Zeija during a training programme for judicial officers from Northern Uganda organised by the Judicial Training Institute (JTI), the Judiciary’s training arm.
In remarks delivered on his behalf by Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kawumi Kazibwe, Justice Zeija said criminal trials have become increasingly complex due to advancements in technology and investigative methods.
“The criminal trial process today is far more complex than it was a decade ago. The modern judicial officer must navigate an environment where criminal investigations, digital communications, CCTV footage, electronic records, financial tracking systems, and computer-generated evidence are becoming increasingly common before our courts,” he said.
He noted that judicial officers must acquire sufficient knowledge to properly assess scientific and electronic evidence while safeguarding constitutional rights and fair trial guarantees.
The two-day training has brought together more than 100 judicial officers from Northern Uganda and features experts from various institutions within the criminal justice system.
During one of the plenary sessions, Justice George Okello, the resident judge of Patongo High Court, cautioned fellow judicial officers against relying unquestioningly on expert evidence, saying some reports presented in court may be inaccurate.
“There was a time I handled a case where a 20-year-old boy had been charged with aggravated defilement involving a 16-year-old girlfriend. This should have been simple defilement, but because the medical officer had tested and found the accused HIV-positive, the charge had to be aggravated,” Justice Okello said.
He explained that he sought a second medical opinion regarding the accused’s HIV status after developing doubts about the report.
“But I decided to get a second opinion from Luzira prison on the HIV status of the accused person, and they told me he was negative. I decided to conduct my own independent testing, and the results were still negative. I was so mad at the medical doctor who apologised and said he had given the testing process to an intern doctor,” he said.
The training comes at a time when criminal cases continue to dominate the Judiciary’s workload.
According to the Judiciary Annual Performance Report for the 2024/25 financial year, criminal matters remained the largest category of cases handled by courts across the country. A total of 125,686 criminal cases were registered during the period, while 118,883 were concluded.
Despite the progress, Chief Justice Zeija noted that criminal cases continue to account for the largest portion of the Judiciary’s case backlog, with 14,675 matters still pending determination.
At an earlier session, Deputy Chief Justice Kazibwe reminded judicial officers of their role as the ultimate guardians against injustice.
“Needless to re-echo is that as judicial officers, we are the final safeguard against injustice, turning constitutional promises into reality. We must uphold high standards of fairness, human rights, and constitutionalism, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, juveniles, children, and persons with disabilities,” he said.
He warned that administrative shortcomings such as late court sessions, disrespectful conduct, wrongful remand, and delays in processing case files often result in human rights violations.
“I urge everyone to approach this training openly, ask questions, challenge assumptions, and learn to apply human rights principles in daily judicial work. This will boost public confidence, promote constitutional governance, and help us fulfil our oath to deliver justice impartially,” Justice Kawuma added.