Uganda’s Deputy Chief Justice, Justice Moses Kazibwe Kawumi, has blamed delays in investigations, staffing shortages and failures by justice sector institutions to comply with court processes for contributing to case backlogs, saying the Judiciary cannot resolve the problem alone.
Kazibwe said the timely administration of justice depends on cooperation among all institutions in the justice chain, including the police, prosecutors, prisons authorities, the Attorney General’s Chambers and the legal profession.
He made the remarks on Monday while opening a two-day Court of Appeal civil session at Mbale High Court, where 31 appeals were scheduled to be heard between October 12 and 13, 2026.
The session is being presided over by Justices Christopher Gashirabake, Margret Tibulya and Cornelia Kakooza Sabiiti.
Speaking at a stakeholder meeting held alongside the session, Kazibwe cited prolonged investigations, lawyers’ failure to comply with court orders and bottlenecks in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes among the factors delaying the resolution of cases.
“I am not saying we are angels in the Judiciary; we have our own weaknesses, but there are also delays caused by other players in the justice chain. So, when we talk about delays, we must recognise that we all play our part in the chain. Let us all play our part in ensuring the timely delivery of justice,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Justice also called for greater accountability and fairness across justice sector institutions, saying public confidence in the formal justice system depends on people receiving fair treatment and quality judicial decisions.
“Confidence in the judicial system begins with the people knowing that when they go to court, they will get justice. This also means improving the quality of our decisions and treating the people who come to us fairly as litigants. It has many components. We are all players in building confidence in the nation, and let us all, in our respective spaces, work towards that,” he said.
Kazibwe identified inadequate funding and staffing shortages as major challenges facing the Court of Appeal and the wider Judiciary. He revealed that the appellate court has more than 14,000 pending cases but only 18 serving Justices against an established staffing level of 35.
The staffing gap places considerable pressure on the available Justices and limits the court’s capacity to dispose of appeals within the expected timeframes.
He said personnel shortages also affect other institutions in the justice chain, particularly the prosecution service. More than 30 courts reportedly have no State Attorneys, while some prosecutors are required to serve two or three courts, stretching the available personnel and contributing to delays.
Kazibwe called for increased funding and adequate staffing across the justice sector, arguing that reducing case backlogs requires addressing capacity gaps throughout the system rather than focusing exclusively on the courts.
The Deputy Chief Justice also outlined measures being taken to address long-pending appeals at the Court of Appeal.
He said the court was reviewing older cases alongside its traditional first-in, first-out approach. Committees comprising Justices and Registrars were examining long-pending appeals, including those affected by missing or inadequate court records, to determine how they could be resolved more quickly.
The review is intended to identify obstacles preventing the disposal of cases and establish ways of moving them forward.
Kazibwe’s remarks highlight the shared responsibility of justice sector institutions in tackling Uganda’s case backlog, with adequate resources, staffing and more efficient case management needed to improve the timely delivery of justice.