Full Breakdown
Gambia’s First Blind Magistrate Tests a System Built for the Sighted
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Muhammed Krubally Presides Over Courtroom Using Assistive Technology
Principal Magistrate Muhammed Krubally arrives each morning at Banjul Magistrates’ Court, where his clerk reads the docket aloud and prepares electronic files. Krubally relies on the JAWS screen-reader and AI-enabled smart glasses to navigate documents, while his clerk provides real-time assistance. He listens to lawyers, witnesses and parties, builds a mental picture of the proceedings, and has presided over more than 1,000 civil and criminal cases since his appointment in 2016.
Background & Context: Disability Law and Education Landscape
The Gambia’s Persons with Disabilities Act of 2021 codifies independence, non-discrimination, full participation, equality of opportunity and accessibility, and mandates provisions for employment, public buildings, information and access to justice. The National Human Rights Commission continues to identify discrimination and difficulties accessing services, education and employment for people with disabilities.
Education for visually impaired children remains limited. The Gambia Organisation of the Visually Impaired (GOVI) runs a Resource Centre for the Blind that serves 49 pupils aged 4-14. Special-needs teachers are assigned to school clusters, but a single teacher must cover many schools, stretching support thin.
Key Figures & Groups
- Muhammed Krubally – principal magistrate, first visually impaired magistrate (appointed 2016), president of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled.
- Lamin Colley – head of GOVI’s Resource Centre for the Blind.
- Ndey Yassin Secka-Sallah – the country’s only visually impaired member of the National Assembly.
- Modou Lamin Dampha – young visually impaired mentee of Krubally.
Data & Statistics
- The 2013 Population and Housing Census recorded a disability prevalence of 1.2 percent, representing 21,873 people; the figure may understate the true scale because the census used a narrower set of questions than the Washington Group standard.
- GOVI’s Resource Centre for the Blind enrolls 49 students (ages 4-14).
- Krubally has handled over 1,000 civil and criminal cases since 2016.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Persons with Disabilities Act 2021 outlines rights to accessibility, non-discrimination and equal opportunity in public services and employment.
- The National Human Rights Commission reports ongoing barriers for people with disabilities in accessing education, services and workplaces.
- The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for details on implementation measures for the 2021 Act.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The 2013 census figure of 1.2 percent may undercount disability prevalence because of limited questionnaire design.
- A new population and housing census conducted in 2024 released preliminary results in September 2024, but the report omitted detailed disability data, leaving the current prevalence and trends unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The reality on the ground is that not much has changed after the disability act has been passed,” — Lamin Colley
- “He advises and encourages me to keep going, that things are possible,” — Modou Lamin Dampha