Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kawumi Kazibwe says the Judiciary faces funding and staffing constraints, with 19 judges serving against an establishment of 35, as litigants welcome the move to bring appellate hearings closer to eastern Uganda.
The Court of Appeal has opened a two-day civil appeals session in Mbale, bringing appellate justice closer to litigants in eastern Uganda who would otherwise have to travel to Kampala to pursue their cases.
The session, running from October 12 to 13, comes as the court grapples with 14,127 pending cases and a shortage of judicial officers, highlighting the challenges facing the administration of justice.
Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kawumi Kazibwe, who officially opened the session, said the Judiciary needed stronger coordination among institutions in the justice system to address delays in resolving cases.
For many litigants in eastern Uganda, accessing the Court of Appeal has meant travelling long distances to Kampala, adding to the financial burden and inconvenience of pursuing justice.
Daod Swaleh, a litigant from Industrial Division in Mbale, welcomed the opportunity to have his case heard closer to home, recalling the difficulties he faced travelling to Kampala.
“In 2024, I almost got an accident as I was driving my father to the Court of Appeal in Kampala,” Swaleh said.
He thanked the Judiciary for bringing the proceedings to Mbale, saying the arrangement would ease access to justice for people who cannot afford repeated journeys to the capital.
Another litigant, Apofia, who travelled from Busia, welcomed the decentralisation of court services. She said her land dispute had required repeated trips to Kampala.
“Ours is a land matter, and we have been attending it in Kampala. We are very appreciative that the services are decentralised,” she said.
The session was flagged off by Kazibwe after he engaged justice sector stakeholders on challenges affecting the administration of justice.
A panel of three justices, led by Justice Christopher Gashirabake and comprising Justices Margaret Tibulya and Cornelia K. Sabiiti, is hearing the appeals.
Kazibwe said the Court of Appeal had 14,127 pending cases, with 19 judges serving against an approved establishment of 35.
“The Judiciary, like other agencies of government, is faced with a number of issues. The biggest is lack of adequate financing despite the load of work before us,” he said.
He acknowledged government interventions to recruit more judicial officers and improve court infrastructure, including the Court of Appeal facility in Mbale, which he said was expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
However, he said delays in the administration of justice extended beyond the Judiciary, citing prolonged police investigations, lawyers failing to meet deadlines, delays in settlement approval procedures and shortages of state attorneys.
Kazibwe said more than 30 courts were operating without state attorneys, affecting the timely handling of cases involving the government.
“You find a state attorney’s hand will have to delay justice, and the lay people will put it entirely on the farmer,” he said, referring to the tendency to blame judicial officers for delays arising elsewhere in the justice system.
He said staffing gaps across justice sector institutions were being addressed, adding that timely justice depended on every institution in the chain fulfilling its responsibilities.
The Deputy Chief Justice also acknowledged that the Judiciary had its own shortcomings to address.
He said his administration had introduced measures to clear old cases, including alternative dispute resolution and expediting hearings, as part of efforts to reduce the backlog.
The two-day session in Mbale is intended to improve access to appellate justice for litigants in eastern Uganda while highlighting the need for adequate funding, staffing and coordination across the justice system.