This policy brief results from an eight-year partnership between The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) and the Access to Justice (JLOS) Sub-programme, aimed at driving people-centred justice in Uganda through data and innovation. It aims to inform justice leaders, development partners, legal aid providers, justice innovators, and civil society organisations about the justice needs of Ugandans.

Based on the 2023 Justice Needs and Satisfaction (JNS) survey, which gathered insights from 6,300 randomly selected Ugandans, this brief highlights prevalent legal issues among Ugandans, the impact those problems have in people’s daily lives, and the resolution strategies that people apply to their problems. The JNS survey follows the OECD's legal needs survey guidelines, emphasising people-centred justice — a methodology HiiL has implemented in 19 countries.

The findings were released in March 2024 at the data report launch event and a 'Justice Leaders’ Forum,' facilitating discussions among justice leaders and providers. This survey builds on previous studies conducted between 2016 and 2020, which influenced sectoral changes in Uganda's justice policies, including the Judiciary’s Alternative Justice System (AJS) strategy, the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) policy, and the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF).

 

DOWNLOAD THE POLICY BRIEF (PDF)

 

 

 

 

A new study supported by Sweden reveals justice needs of Ugandans. The study was carried out by HiiL Innovating Justice and launched by the Principle Judge Hon. Dr. Yorokamu Bamwine in Kampala on April 13, 2016.

The study shows that over a period of four years 90% of Ugandans experience justice needs, the most prevalent problems being related to land, family matters and crime. The study further showed that the Local Council Courts are the most trusted institution both for seeking information and solving disputes. The Embassy of Sweden is currently working with JLOS partners to design a new programme to enhance Access to Justice and Rule of Law in Uganda.

The study titled “Justice Needs in Uganda: Legal problems in daily life” is authored by Johanna Piest, Sam Muller, Martin Gramatikov, Kavita Heijstek-Ziemann, Jamila Sallali  (Published in 2016).

 

WATCH Launch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHoICraVrms 

 

DOWNLOAD Report: http://www.hiil.org/publication/uganda_report

 

A young pregnant woman undergoes a caesarean by an unqualified doctor and is now in pain every day but is afraid to report it to the police. A farmer becomes a victim of land grabbing, and is unable to feed his family, but can't afford transportation to the courthouse. A wife is severely beaten by her drunken husband but does not know where to turn to for help. These are all true stories, and we heard many stories similar to these accounts in the course of researching “Justice Needs in Uganda”. In this research launched on the 14th of April by my organization, HiiL, Innovating Justice, we interviewed more than 6000 people from all corners of the country.  

It turns out that almost nine out of 10 Ugandan citizens needed access to the justice system over the last few years, but their needs remained unmet. Many of those who embarked on a justice journey, either through the informal or formal system, found the processes to be lengthy and unfair, especially when the other party was richer or more powerful. Others struggled to navigate complex systems in the absence of clear information about the appropriate organization or institution to address their specific problems. And still others believe that no matter what they did, nothing would change their situation for the better. The fact is, across the country, millions of Ugandans have to deal with these issues. 

 But it’s not all bad news. Citizens often (in almost half of the cases of justice problems) turn to the Local Council Courts (LCCs) for dispute resolution, because decisions there are reached quickly, and they are accessible both financially and geographically. During our research, we were frequently told that going to the Local Council is the first step: “Where else would you go unless it is a big case that requires police?” 

That said, LCCs suffer from several weaknesses such as lack of legal skills, and it is not uncommon to see existing power structures in communities be transferred to the LCCs, especially at the village or parish level. These problems could be alleviated if the government were to take concrete steps towards strengthening the ties between the formal and informal justice systems, while simultaneously empowering the LCCs with the resources and skills necessary to provide fair solutions. This can include dialogue and training to introduce LCC Chairpersons to inclusive dispute resolution approaches, new laws and supporting dialogue processes to build synergies between the formal and informal justice system. Another strategy for improvement is supporting entrepreneurs that set up innovative businesses centred on justice needs. Within an ecosystem of investor networks, business incubators, creatives and justice professionals, those businesses that have successfully demonstrated ‘proof-of-principle’ can be scaled up. An example of such a ‘justice innovation’ is the mSMEGarage founded by ‘Barefoot Lawyers’: a group of Ugandan lawyers providing (free) legal advice to people and small businesses amongst other via Facebook, SMS, WhatsApp, and an online platform. A third strategy is to invest in innovating and simplifying procedures where access to justice is most needed, such as family and land problems. 

Improving access to justice will pay dividends many times over. Given how key this is for citizens’ livelihoods, improving the system will yield positive benefits for the development of Ugandan society. If individuals are able to access justice and thereby secure their income and livelihoods, this will have a positive effect that ripples through the economy and society

At the end of the day, it will be crucial for the Justice Law & Order Sector (JLOS) in Uganda to evolve in a way that improves access to justice for the citizens who need it the most. Fortunately, there are positive indications of such progress, given the sector’s focus on establishing and sustaining linkages and oversight over informal mechanisms, such as the Local Council Courts. During the launch of our report, Rachel Odoi, the senior technical advisor to JLOS emphasized that our findings “could have a tremendous impact on the future of the justice system in Uganda. The proposed solutions and tools provide a blueprint for action.” 

 Time will tell how these developments will play out, and HiiL looks forward to supporting JLOS and other stakeholders in making Kampala the ‘Justice Innovation Capital of Africa,’ as Chief Justice Emeritus Benjamin Odoki eloquently stated. Consequently, the next time a woman is abused by her husband, or a farmer’s land is stolen from him, they will know where to go for quick and fair solutions. They will know how to find justice.

 

The writer is a justice sector advisor at HiiL.  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In May 2017, HiiL launched their latest Justice Data Report on Family Justice in Uganda. This was done at a workshop hosted by the Swedish Embassy in Kampala. The launch was accompanied by the attendance of representatives from the key actors from the justice system who are concerned with family justice, including the JLOS secretariat, the National Police, the Judiciary, DGF, LASPNET, IDLO and the Law Reform Commission.

The full report is now freely available and can be downloaded in English HERE: Family Justice in Uganda

This latest HiiL report follows the outcomes of nation-wide justice needs and satisfaction survey that HiiL conducted in Uganda in 2016. That report showed that justice problems relating to the family rank constitute the most prevalent justice problem for Ugandans. More than 1 million serious family justice problems occur in Uganda every year: most of them are domestic violence and separation related. As in other countries, this survey shows high impact of family problems on people’s lives. Impact on women is more severe than impact on men.

The Family Justice report contains a deeper understanding of the family-related problems that Ugandans face. This includes the processes people follow to solve these problems and the outcomes that they obtain when attempting to get a solution. It sets out the foundation for an agenda for innovation that builds on the needs of users of family justice processes.

Instead of proposing new legislation or financing additional services, the report outlines terms of reference and user stories: what should the family justice process achieve for women, men, girls and boys? What do justice providers from the informal or formal sector need, in order to help solve family problems more effectively?

The launching workshop concluded that the results of this study should become building blocks for an action plan to improve the treatment of family disputes in Uganda and first steps were taken to make this concrete.

 

By Nathalie Djikman, HiiL Justice Sector Advisor. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / Published: June 19 2017

By Nathalie Dijkman

For the second time HiiL has held an Innovating Justice Boostcamp in Kampala, which took place on 7 and 8 September this year. The Boostcamp was part of the selection process for the winners of the Innovating Justice Challenge 2017, a global challenge that seeks to find innovative solutions preventing or resolving the most pressing justice needs of people around the world. 

This year, from over 60 applications that came in from Uganda, 10 were shortlisted by HiiL to take part in the Boostcamp, and 5 of those ended up pitching in front of a jury to stand to win the Challenge. The shortlisted innovations are tackling a variety of justice needs, including gender-based violence, land disputes, forced migration and employment issues. 

During the first day of the Boostcamp, the group of innovators took off on a bus early morning to Entebbe to spend a full training day in retreat-setting guided by a group of expert mentors. The programme included learning about Lean Start-up methodology, filling out a Social Business Canvas, designing their first experiments on a Javelin Board and practicing their 4-minute pitch. In the afternoon the teams, recognized by bright ‘Justler’ t-shirts, went off into a small town off Entebbe Road to conduct interviews with local citizens, testing their main assumptions. As one of the innovators said: “We learned a lot from listening to people who are meant to use our service. (…) From all the people we talked to, everyone has had a problem with land. They didn’t know where to go and the question then is whether our service can make a real difference.” 

The next day, on 8 September, the wider public and key stakeholders were invited to the Boostcamp to meet the innovators and exchange ideas on justice innovation. This event was held at Africana Hotel during the Legal Aid Innovations Conference, which was co-organized by BarefootLaw, LASPNET, DGF and HiiL. The morning of the event held speeches by a.o. Chief Justice Katureebe, the Ambassador of the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Chair of the Judiciary ICT Committee Justice Kiryabwire. Up to 300 people came to this inaugural conference to learn about the most innovative justice solutions currently available in Uganda and how to improve justice through technology and citizen-centred solutions. HiiL’s Justice Needs in Uganda report, which was launched in April 2016, was mentioned by all stakeholders as a cornerstone of the evidence currently available on the most pressing justice needs in Uganda. 

The five innovations selected by HiiL which were pitching in front of the jury in the afternoon included: E-Migrate (an easy and safe travel agency for migrants and refugees), Evidence and Methods Lab (smart infographics of complex justice problems to promote accountability), Muslim Centre for Justice e-Law App (a legal sms service for Muslim minorities and users of the Qhuadi court), Land Title Search App (a smartphone land title verification tool) and Weetase (a voice-based mobile app to monitor victims of (forced) migration and trafficking). 

The 5-headed Jury, chaired by Lucy Ladira, the lead Advisor on Criminal Justice at the JLOS Secretariat, concluded during the public Jury Debrief that they were impressed by the pitches and solutions of all teams, although there was definitely a need for them to research their problem further. The Evidence and Methods Lab was announced as winner by HiiL’s alumni (Lawyers4Farmers and Justice2People), and special mentions went out to Weetase and the Muslim Centre for Justice (strongest impact) as well as the Land Title App (best presentation). 

This month HiiL is holding similar Boostcamps in Accra (Ghana), Nairobi (Kenya), Johannesburg (South Africa), The Hague (Netherlands) and Kyiv (Ukraine). At each event, innovators are trained and winners are selected by a local jury. All winners of the Boostcamps win 5000 EUR in seed funding and are invited to take part in HiiL’s Accelerator programme. In total, 12 teams are also invited to come to The Hague in December to take part in the Justice Entrepreneurship School and present their innovations in the Peace Palace. 

 

Nathalie Dijkman is the Justice Sector Advisor (East Africa Program Coordinator) at HiiL

 

Published: September 19, 2017

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