The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Tribunal will for the first time sit in Kabale Municipality to resolve human rights complaints in the Greater Kigezi Sub-region. Chaired by the Chairperson Hon. Mariam Wangadya, the Tribunal will sit at the newly created UHRC Kabale Regional Office that was curved out of the Mbarara Regional Office.
The Director Complaints, Investigation and Legal Services Ms. Ida Nakiganda revealed yesterday that the Commission will handle a total of 13 complaints from Monday 12th August to Wednesday 14th August 2024.
“All these are matters that were transferred from our Mbarara Regional Office to Kabale when the regional office was operationalized in 2021,” she said.
According to the Cause-list released last week, four of these matters had already been partially heard from Mbarara Regional Office. The Commission is therefore going to deliver a decision in one of the four matters. Three of the part-heard complaints, the cause list shows, the Tribunal will entertain the defense of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) against whom the complaint was filed and the other two matters are for further hearing. The remaining nine complaints will be coming up for first time hearing in this tribunal.
Apart from the complaint against the UWA, the rest of the nine complaints scheduled were filed against government, making the office of the Attorney General the defendant. Kabale Regional Office is currently headed by Ms. Theopista Twembi.
From Kabale, the Tribunal will return to Mbarara to handle human rights complaints there from August 19th – 21st, 2014. A total of 16 complaints are lined. Out of the 16 complaints, only one against Katerera Sub-county Council, is not against government (Attorney General). Mbarara Regional office is currently headed by Ms. Carolyne Gomushabe.
For the UHRC tribunal to sit, it has to be composed of the Chairperson and at least three members of the Commission. The UHRC has powers of court under Article 53(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda to question any person in respect of any subject matter under investigation before it and to require any person to disclose any information within his or her knowledge relevant to any investigation by the commission, among others. The Commission, once satisfied that indeed a violation of human rights occurred, can offer a number of remedies including making orders for the affected person to be compensated. The tribunal sittings are therefore held partly to exercise the above constitutional powers so that justice is served.
