L-R: Hon. Justice Asiimwe (Deputy Head, Land Division), Hon. Dr. Zeija(Principal Judge) and Hon. Lady Justice Nkonge Rugadiya (Head, Land Division) at the meeting
The Land Division of the High Court on Tuesday April 4, 2023 held a court users meeting at the Division at Twed Towers.
The meeting was presided over by the Principal Judge, Hon. Justice Dr Flavian Zeija. He explained that administration of land justice is pivotal to the socio-economic transformation of this country because land is a vital factor of production.
"We have large scale investors who use land as a vehicle of economic production. We also have a very big percentage of our population depending solely on land as a source of livelihood. This makes land a major asset and the biggest means of production since Uganda's economy is predominantly based on agriculture, thus, land is the most important asset most people in Uganda can own or admire to own", he said.
The Principal Judge noted that in most Ugandan communities, aspirations are based on land.
The PJ said the Judiciary is working on the amendments to the Magistrate's Courts Act, in order to increase jurisdiction for Magistrates, so that it can take pressure off the High Court.
The Head of Division, Hon. Lady Justice Alexandra Nkonge Rugadya, stated that the Land Division has more than 9,000 cases and is facing challenges of lack of space in the archives and ECCMIS kiosk. She asked for more judges, and more non-Judicial staff to help fight case backlog.
She said although the caseload per Judge has reduced from 2,000 but there is stillroom for improvement.
The Deputy Head Land Division, Hon. Justice Tadeo Asiimwe, cautioned the lawyers against abuse of court time and urged them to adequately prepare for court.
He emphasized the need for advocates to dress appropriately for court so as to earn the confidence of the parties they represent.
He called for concerted efforts to fight case backlog.
The Deputy Registrar of Land Division, HW Janeva Natukunda emphasized the fact that the meeting was a platform for stakeholders to interact with the judicial officers and discuss challenges they are facing in the administration of land justice. And also for Court to get feedback from its court users.
She also said the meeting was line with the Judiciary transformation agenda, which focuses on a paradigm shift from case backlog to case load management.
HW Natukunda said the Land Division has 9,749 cases of which 4,839 are backlog.
The court users were taken through a presentation of the new trends in the Administration of Estates and Succession Law by Mr. Bogere Robert representing the Administrator General.
Another presentation of Emerging and Evolving Jurisprudence by Superior Courts of Record and their effect on pleading and particularizing fraud in land litigation was done by Counsel Paul Mukiibi.
The Ag. Commissioner for Land Registration, Mr Baker Mugaino discussed challenges in land registration and management.
Court users decried difficulty in hearing dates and not getting rulings and judgments on time. Others called for more communication avenues with the Court on top of social media forum.
The meeting was attended by Judges; Hon. Lady Justice Patricia Basaza, Hon. Lady Justice Immaculate Busingye, Hon. Lady Justice Nassuna Flavia Matovu, Hon. Lady Justice Kanyange Susan, and Hon. Justice Namanya Bernard. The Court's two Assistant Registrars; HW Kintu Simon Zirintusa and HW Butanula Rashida, President Uganda Law Society, Mr. Bernard Oundo, Secretary Law Council, Ms. Margaret Nabakooza, were also present, among others.
Posted 4th, April 2023
