UNAFRI Participates in National Validation Workshop on the Review of the Identification of Offenders Act (Cap. 127)

UNAFRI Acting Director General Mr. Munanura Andrew Karokora joins representatives from Uganda’s justice, governance, human rights, and technology institutions during the National Validation Workshop on the review of the Identification of Offenders Act (Cap. 127), hosted by the Uganda Law Reform Commission, in Kampala.

 On 19 June 2026, the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI) participated in a high level National Validation Workshop convened to review Uganda’s Identification of Offenders Act (Cap. 127). The workshop was hosted by the Uganda Law Reform Commission as part of ongoing national efforts to modernize legal and institutional frameworks governing offender identification.

UNAFRI was represented by the Acting Director General, Mr. Munanura Andrew Karokora, who contributed to discussions on aligning offender identification systems with contemporary forensic science, international human rights standards, and evolving technological capabilities.

Modernising Offender Identification in a Digital Age

The review of the Identification of Offenders Act (Cap. 127) seeks to address existing gaps and anomalies in Uganda’s legal framework governing the identification of offenders. Central to the reform process is the need to transition from traditional identification methods to more reliable, science-driven approaches anchored in modern forensic technologies.

Stakeholders emphasized that any reform must balance three critical imperatives:

• Strengthening criminal justice efficiency through accurate identification systems

• Ensuring compliance with international human rights standards

• Integrating emerging forensic science and digital technologies into institutional practice

Multi-Stakeholder Engagement for Legal Reform

The validation workshop brought together a broad spectrum of actors within Uganda’s justice, governance, academic, and human rights ecosystem. These included:

• Judiciary of Uganda

• Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Uganda)

• Uganda Prisons Service

• Uganda Human Rights Commission

• National Information Technology Authority - Uganda (NITA-U)

• Personal Data Protection Office Uganda

• Makerere University School of Law

• Uganda Law Society

• LASPNET Uganda

• CIPESA

• Barefoot Law

• Uganda Christian University

The wide-ranging participation reflected the cross-sectoral nature of offender identification reform, underscoring its implications for justice delivery, digital governance, privacy rights, and institutional accountability.

Towards Human Rights–Compliant Forensic Systems

A key focus of the deliberations was ensuring that reforms to offender identification systems are grounded in human rights principles. Stakeholders noted the importance of safeguarding individual dignity, data protection, and procedural fairness, particularly as forensic technologies become more integrated into law enforcement processes.

The discussions also highlighted the need to strengthen institutional coordination and capacity-building across justice sector agencies to ensure effective implementation of any revised legal framework.

UNAFRI’s Contribution to Justice Sector Reform

UNAFRI’s participation reaffirmed its mandate to support African states in strengthening crime prevention systems and improving the treatment of offenders through evidence-based, rights-respecting approaches.

By engaging in the validation process, UNAFRI continues to contribute technical insight into the alignment of legal frameworks with modern forensic science, while promoting standards consistent with international norms and best practices.