Judges, prosecutors undergo training on digital crimes
“Ask tough questions, leverage expertise, identify gaps and consider how the judiciary can improve its response to technological change,” Kawumi said. Underscoring the importance of the training, Kawumi noted that the digital environment poses serious risks to public safety and consumer protection.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kazibwe Kawumi commended the initiative and encouraged the judicial officers taking part in the training to ask questions to broaden their knowledge of the subject. (Credit: Farooq Kasule)
WAKISO - With rising cases of digital fraud, cyber harassment, and misinformation, a host of judicial officers and prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) have convened at Lake Victoria Serena Hotel in Kigo, Wakiso District, to enhance their knowledge of emerging communications-related offences and to handle them effectively.
Organised by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) in conjunction with the Judicial Training Institute (JTI), the three-day training is aimed at sensitising judges and prosecutors to evidence gathering in digital-related crimes.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kazibwe Kawumi commended the initiative and encouraged the judicial officers taking part in the training to ask questions to broaden their knowledge of the subject.
He noted that effective management of cybercrime, digital evidence and electronic transactions boosts confidence.
“Ask tough questions, leverage expertise, identify gaps and consider how the judiciary can improve its response to technological change,” Kawumi said.
Underscoring the importance of the training, Kawumi noted that the digital environment poses serious risks to public safety and consumer protection.
With the borderless nature of digital communication platforms, Kawumi said this poses a challenge to the judiciary, and thus the judicial officers must proactively understand sector regulations, technologies and evidence while upholding principles of independence, fairness, impartiality, legality, due process and constitutional rights.
He said the judiciary must strengthen its capacity to manage technology-related disputes, creating a stable legal environment.
With the rapid expansion of mobile money, electronic payments and other digital financial services which have transformed how individuals and businesses conduct transactions, Kawumi said the judicial officers must understand the ecosystem in which the transactions occur.
“Questions concerning electronic records, customer information, intermediary responsibility, consumer protection, privacy and the tracing of digital financial transactions require judicial officers to appreciate both the legal framework and the practical realities of the technologies involved,” Kawumi said.
ICT State Minister Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo greets Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kazibwe Kawumi upon her arrival at Serena, Kigo. (Credit: Farooq Kasule)
While the digital revolution has expanded the freedom of expression and access to information, Kawumi said courts must protect reputation, privacy, and legal interests while safeguarding constitutional freedoms and preventing unjust suppression of legitimate expression.
“This requires a judiciary that is not merely aware of technological change but also possesses the necessary judicial appreciation to interrogate the evidence, understand the applicable legal and institutional frameworks, protect constitutional rights, and render decisions that inspire confidence in an increasingly digital society,” Kawumi noted.
UCC executive director George William Nyombi Thembo said the engagement is not aimed at being a lecture but rather a knowledge-sharing platform between the commission and the judiciary in regard to digital crimes.
“As the communications sector, we believe the judiciary plays a vital role in adjudicating these crimes and abuses. There is a need, therefore, for the judiciary and the sector to partner in handling the ever-increasing volume and ever-changing nature of ICT-related crimes,” he said.
Thembo noted that ICT transformation has increased social media abuse that promotes misinformation and disinformation at a rate like never before.
Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, the state minister for ICT, explained that the purpose of the engagement is for the stakeholders to share knowledge about the current trends in the communications sector so that the judiciary can better understand the ever-fast-evolving ICT sector and guide on practical steps to enhance adjudication.
“The ministry trusts that this engagement shall go a long way in enlightening both the commission and the judiciary and shall be the start of many more fruitful engagements for the betterment of our country,” Ssebugwawo said.
Digital crimes in the country have surged significantly, with police reports showing an increase from 245 reported cases in 2023 to 474 cases in 2024.
Total financial loss reached roughly 72.1 billion shillings in 2024 compared to 1.5 billion shillings lost in 2023.