Judicial Training Institute Executive Director Justice Prof Andrew Khaukha says better judgment writing and alternative dispute resolution could help address delays, with magistrates’ court cases taking an average of 730 days to conclude.
The Judicial Training Institute (JTI) has urged magistrates to improve judgment writing and embrace alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to reduce delays in Uganda’s courts, where cases at magistrates’ level take an average of 730 days from filing to disposal.
The call was made by JTI Executive Director Justice Prof Andrew Khaukha at the close of a two-day training for judicial officers from Western Region Cluster One at the Court of Appeal Conference Hall in Kampala.
Khaukha said the average time taken to dispose of cases underscored the need for judicial officers to apply the lessons acquired during training to improve the delivery of justice at their respective stations.
“If we embrace the lessons that we get here,” Khaukha said, judicial officers could help reduce the time cases spend in the justice system.
The training focused on practical judgment writing, including structuring judgments, evaluating evidence, applying the law to facts and using the newly introduced Judgment Writing Tool.
Khaukha said continuous judicial education should become a regular feature of the Judiciary, revealing that the Chief Justice wanted every judicial officer to complete a prescribed number of hours of continuing legal education annually.
“This is not just the first time this is going to happen,” he said, adding that the Chief Justice’s vision was to ensure such training continued almost every year.
Beyond improving written decisions, Khaukha urged magistrates to consider mediation and other forms of ADR before committing disputes to lengthy trials.
He said judicial officers needed to develop what he described as an “ADR mindset”, ensuring that cases were resolved through appropriate alternative mechanisms wherever possible.
“Courts decide the cases; they do not resolve them. It is only ADR that resolves the cases,” Khaukha said, encouraging magistrates to work closely with the Judiciary’s ADR Registry.
Mediation allows parties to a dispute to negotiate a settlement with the assistance of a neutral third party, potentially avoiding the time and expense associated with a full trial. The Judiciary has increasingly promoted such mechanisms as part of efforts to address case backlog and improve access to justice.
However, participants said efforts to improve judicial performance should extend beyond judgment writing to other aspects of decision-making, particularly sentencing.
Moses Nabende, the Chief Magistrate of Mbarara, said the training had boosted participants’ confidence and equipped them with practical skills to improve the quality of their judgments.
“We are going to write better judgments,” Nabende said.
He nevertheless asked the JTI to organise additional training on sentencing, noting that errors could still arise even when judgments were properly written.
“After these judgments, we can also err in the sentencing,” he said, urging the institute to extend similar programmes to judicial officers in the Western Region.
His request was supported by Justice Kafuuzi Kwemara Gelase, the Resident Judge of the Mbarara High Court, who said judicial officers needed to continue learning throughout their careers.
“Learning never ends,” Justice Kafuuzi said, thanking the institute for recognising the importance of continuous professional development.
The training also featured experienced members of the bench, including Justice Yorokamu Bamwine, Principal Judge Emeritus, and Justice David Wangutusi, who shared practical lessons drawn from their years in judicial service.
Khaukha credited the two senior judicial officers with contributing to his own professional development and encouraged participants to continue seeking their guidance.
Justice Kafuuzi also praised the trainers for sharing practical knowledge gained through years of judicial experience rather than relying solely on academic instruction.
The initiative forms part of broader Judiciary efforts to improve the quality, consistency and timeliness of judicial decisions.
Earlier this year, Chief Justice Justice Dr Flavian Zeija launched the Judgment Writing Tool as part of the Judiciary’s modernisation programme. The tool is intended to improve the structure and quality of judgments, enhance efficiency and contribute to reducing case backlog.
Justice Mike Chibita, chairperson of the JTI Governing Council, has also warned that poorly structured, inadequately reasoned or delayed judgments can undermine public confidence in the courts.
For the judicial officers who attended the Kampala training, the next challenge will be translating the lessons into practice through clearer judgments, timely decisions and greater use of mediation where appropriate.