Lasting peace and the prosperity that comes with it cannot be achieved without justice, the Commonwealth Secretary-General has declared, during a keynote speech in the Hague.

Patricia Scotland was addressing the International Criminal Court (ICC) as guest of honour for the opening of the new judicial year.

The distinguished lawyer and former Attorney General in the United Kingdom explained how a fair justice system is an indispensable precondition for democracy, adding that systems must be trustworthy and accessible if they are to be effective.

She said: “That is why building strong public institutions capable of delivering sustainable, democratic development, has always been central to the work of the Commonwealth.”

She added: “Whether justice is delivered through the International Criminal Court, domestic courts or other mechanisms, lasting peace is virtually impossible to attain without justice.

“Our Charter expresses it clearly – international peace and the rule of law are essential to the progress and prosperity of all.”

She highlighted how countries can enshrine recognition of international law in their domestic legislation as an important step towards increasing access to justice.

Praising the important role in promoting peace and security that the ICC plays, she said: “Commonwealth nations seek to realise their commitment to increasing access to justice. We realise that we need to keep in mind the victims of offences such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

“The ICC was not designed to hear from all victims of these crimes, so it is crucial for domestic justice systems to be equipped to provide some form of redress.

“The inclusion of international crimes in domestic law represents an important step in this process, to be followed then by effective prosecution.”

The Secretary-General outlined how the Commonwealth assists member countries in meeting their international obligations.

The Rome Statute, the treaty adopted in 1998 that established the ICC, has been ratified by 36 of the 53 Commonwealth countries – more than 60 percent of members.

The Commonwealth has developed a model law to assist further implementation of the Rome Statute, while extensive experience in legislative drafting and law reform can also help countries include international crimes in their domestic laws.

The Secretary-General also spoke on other elements of the Commonwealth’s long-standing programme of work to strengthen public institutions.

This includes curbing corruption through the development of anti-corruption benchmarks that will be presented to heads of government for endorsement at their next meeting in Rwanda in June this year.

She added: “The benchmarks address the importance of combating corruption in the court system and enabling the judiciary to operate effectively and independently.”

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Legislators on the Committee of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs are divided on the proposal within the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2019 to establish a panel of speakers saying it is unclear as has potential to cause discord in the leadership of Parliament.

The bill moved by Ndorwa MP, Hon Wilfred Niwagaba proposes a panel of three  speakers to assist the sitting speakers of Parliament in transaction of Parliament’s business arguing that it is tiring for a Speaker to chair the House for more than six hours as is the case currently.

“The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are human beings like any other person on earth. They get different engagements and also become exhausted; they need time to refresh yet Parliament’s business should not be affected,” said Hon Niwagaba.

Niwagaba made his proposals while was appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee on Thursday, 23 January 2020.

He said that the speakers being proposed would be at the level of parliamentary committee chairpersons, and thus would not attract an extra charge on the consolidated fund.

“This proposal is intended to have specified persons as members of Parliament who can be called upon to assist the speaker when need arises” said Niwagaba.

This sparked dissenting views among legislators with a section of MPs rejecting the proposal that speakers would simply be called upon to chair sessions as and when need arises.

Hon Jovah Kamateeka (Mitooma District) said that the decisions made by these speakers would be doubted.

“Will the decisions of such speakers who are not facilitated financially and simply called upon to chair sessions be taken seriously?” she asked.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Hon Jacob Oboth Oboth said that  it was ‘unattractive’ to have a constitutional amendment if the proposed panel is to be selected from committee chairpersons when need arises.

Bugweri County MP, Hon Abdu Katuntu rejected the proposal on the election of a panel of speakers saying it would cause discord in the leadership of Parliament.

“The speaker needs a panel she can closely work with; don’t bring this into elections.  It will be another problem in the leadership of Parliament,” Katuntu said.

To allay the fears of legislators, Niwagaba said the aim of the bill is to introduce a panel of speakers in the Constitution and have details such as qualifications of the speaker, the way they will run business debated on a later stage and enclosed in Parliament’s Rules of Procedures.
The bill also proposes expansion of the category of the citizenry that can challenge a presidential election.

If the bill is passed into law, any voter who can gather 100 signatures from 2/3 of districts in Uganda is liable to challenge the presidential elections.

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The U.S. government has offered US$ 100,000 in response to the needs of disaster-affected people in Uganda as a result of extensive flooding and landslides.  The Government of Uganda has requested international support.

Heavy rains and flooding that began in September 2019 have negatively impacted nearly 300,000 people across Uganda.  The immediate needs of affected populations include blankets, shelter materials, soap, jerrycans, mosquito nets, medicine to treat water- and vector-borne disease, and food assistance.

According to Information Assistant, U.S. Mission Uganda, Dorothy Nanyonga, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Uganda is awarding the international disaster assistance funds to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to support over 1,000 flood-affected individuals in the Rwenzori sub-region.

“Through the USAID award, CRS will provide emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and non-food items to communities with the greatest need in Bundibugyo.”

To ensure the U.S. assistance targets the most vulnerable households, CRS will coordinate with local government officials and affected communities and consult with marginalized groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly to adapt programming to their specific needs and challenges.

They will work with a local sub-partner, Caritas, to implement activities, with the secondary aim of strengthening Caritas’ capacity to respond to reoccurring disasters.

USAID will continue to liaise with the Ugandan government and relief agencies to determine the type and amount of potential additional assistance.

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The outgoing head of the Executions and Bailiffs Division, Justice Duncan Gaswaga has formally handed over the reins of the Division to Justice Henrietta Wolayo.

In his handover report, Justice Gaswaga highlighted some of the Division’s achievements since he assumed office one and half years ago. These included; securing spacious office space, organising the archives and registry and establishing the court users committee.

Others included securing partnerships with development partners such as SUGAR-TAF, JLOS, LASPNET, IJM; weeding out exercise that saw 947 cases resolved in 2019, initiated monthly meetings of bailiffs, trainings; and supervision of their offices and warehouses and procuring furniture, installation of CCTV cameras, biometric system, court recording and other equipment, among others.

He said that funds had been secured for engaging and training bailiffs and for holding the Division’s first open day.

He tlauded the Judicial Officers and staff at the Division for the assistance rendered to him and wished his successor a successful stay.

Lady Justice Wolayo pledged to further the good work of her predecessor. “I intend to build on those reforms,” she said, adding that disappearance of files won’t happen under her watch.

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Makerere University law professor has called for the establishment of platforms for the public to take part in legislative and accountability processes that are carried out by Members of Parliament (MPs).

According to Dr Kabumba Busingye, Parliament is a reflection of the society which calls for the input of the persons who vote and send legislators to represent them. “If you get a Ugandan on the street and ask them if they know the roles of a Member of Parliament, very few of them will mention debating and passing bills. They will say an MP is supposed to provide for their welfare, which is not the case,” Busingye said.

He added that the path to democratisation would be difficult owing to the fact that society has its own conceptions of how legislators do their representative role, which is majorly misconstrued.

Busingye made the remarks at a Stakeholders Debate on Wednesday, 22 January 2020. The debate is part of the Parliament Week activities.

Irene Ikomu, a lawyer involved in advocating for good governance and democracy in Uganda lauded Parliament for taking itself closer to the public especially through the newly launched bill tracking mobile application and called for more involvement. “A good place to start in trying to understand how to enhance participation of citizens is to ask what the public really need in terms engagement and participation; and who does Parliament see as the public,” Ikomu said.

She also suggested that journalists ought to get information from complicated debates and break it down for citizens to understand.

The Government Spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo urged the civil society to stop telling half-truths on democracy and legislation in Uganda which he said misleads the public. “Government always admits its problems and challenges and comes to such dialogues to seek solutions,” Ofwono Opondo said.

MP Jacob Oboth Oboth who represented the Speaker said that such debates were healthy for resolutions to be made. “Does Parliament have an intention and if we do, does the public appreciate that intention? This is the bridge being built so that you come closer and appreciate what the institution does,” Oboth said.

The debate was also attended by Members of Parliament, FDC Party President, Patrick Amuriat, community leaders, student leaders and members of the public.

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Uganda through the National Water and Sewerage Corporation will next month host the 20th Africa Water Association (AfWA) International Congress & Exhibition (AfWA ICE).

The four-day event, which will run under the theme: Breaking grounds to accelerate access to water and sanitation for all will gather researchers, policymakers and various executives to discuss how the continent can solve problems of water scarcity and stress, through innovations and diplomatic efforts.

According to officials, the event will be held at Kampala Serena Hotel’s Conference Centre from Feb. 24-27.

The conference is hosted every two years.

The 19th AfWA ICE was held in Bamako, Mali in February 2018 and that’s when it was decided that Kampala becomes the next host.

NWSC executive director Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha is the president of the Congress.

The African Water Association (AfWA) is a professional association of establishments, enterprises and utilities operating in the areas of drinking water, sanitation and environment in Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from chronically overburdened water systems under increasing stress from fast-growing urban areas.

“Weak governments, corruption, mismanagement of resources, poor long-term investment, and a lack of environmental research and urban infrastructure only exacerbate the problem,” argues Christopher Tatlock in a blog post on Cfr.org.

Experts define water stress as “economic, social, or environmental problems caused by unmet water needs”.

Lack of supply is often caused by contamination, drought, or disruption in distribution.

The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) defines safe drinking water as “water with microbial, chemical and physical characteristics that meets WHO guidelines or national standards on drinking water quality.”

Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest number of water-stressed countries of any other place on the planet and of an estimated 800 million people who live in Africa, 300 million live in a water-stressed environment.

It is estimated that by 2030, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will be living in areas of high water stress, which will likely displace anywhere between 24 million and 700 million people as conditions become increasingly unlivable.

In Uganda, numerous efforts are being taken to address the problem of unsafe water.

For instance, NWSC announced that it will soon be commissioning the first and biggest plant in East and Central Africa using dissolved air flotation water treatment technology.

It is being constructed in Katosi and it will be using AquaDAF and AquaZur water treatment technologies, officials revealed.

NSWC Senior Manager Infrastructure planning and Development Eng. Sulum Taremwa said they are now moving away from the traditional treatment of water by sedimentation to the use of dissolved air floatation, in order to deal with the problem of increasing algae on Lake Victoria.

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