JUDICIARY Latest Features

Acting Chief Justice, Dr. Flavian Zeija(Middle) chaired a meeting of the Planning, Development and Finance Committee to deliberate on the Draft Judiciary Sixth Strategic Plan

TheActing Chief Justice, Dr. Flavian Zeija, has chaired a meeting of the Planning,Development and Finance Committee to deliberate on the Draft Judiciary SixthStrategic Plan for the Financial Years 2025/2026-2029/2030.

Themeeting was held at the Court of Appeal Conference Hall in Kampala and focusedon reviewing the draft strategic plan aimed at positioning the Judiciary inline with Uganda’s National Transformation Agenda as articulated in Vision2040, the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), and other relevantnational, regional and global frameworks.

Inhis opening remarks, Dr. Zeija welcomed members and described the meeting as acritical milestone in shaping the future direction of the Judiciary. He notedthat the strategic plan represents a shared commitment to building anindependent, efficient, effective and accessible justice system, and emphasisedthat members' participation reflected their collective responsibility insteering institutional reform.

TheActing Chief Justice explained that the meeting was intended to criticallyexamine the proposed goals, objectives, strategies and interventions in thedraft plan, as well as the assumptions underpinning them. He encouraged membersto offer constructive input to ensure the final plan is realistic, responsiveand capable of addressing emerging realities, including economic measures,climate vulnerabilities, developments in the oil and gas sector, regionalintegration and shifting global dynamics.

JusticeDr. Zeija underscored the importance of refining the draft to ensure it fullyresponds to the Judiciary's constitutional mandate and, most importantly, theneeds of court users. He observed that the draft plan was the product ofextensive reflection, wide stakeholder consultations, and analysis of bothinstitutional challenges and opportunities.

Hefurther stressed the need for strong alignment with NDP IV, the Judiciary'score values, and international frameworks such as the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals, particularly Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions. Callingfor open and candid engagement, he noted that the strength of the strategicplan lies in the diversity of perspectives and the quality of ideascontributed.

"Aswe deliberate, let us remain firmly anchored in our constitutional mandate andthe lived realities of court users. Our goal is not merely to produce adocument, but to forge a clear action roadmap that will guide decision-making,resource allocation and reform initiatives over the next five years," Dr. Zeijasaid.

Thedraft Strategic Plan was presented by Dr. Operemo Vincent from the NationalPlanning Authority, accompanied by Dr. Atim Patricia, a Legal Expert.

Duringthe meeting, members raised concerns regarding land allocated or offered to theJudiciary, including land in Gulu and Arua. The need to document all such landand fast-track the acquisition of land titles was emphasised. The proposedconstruction of the Luwero High Court building at Nakaseke was also discussed.

Membersfurther discussed the construction of institutional housing for staff, notingthat accommodation planning should cater for both judicial officers andnon-judicial staff at various stations. It was agreed that the Policy andPlanning Department would prepare budget implications for institutional housingto guide decision-making, with reference made to comparable arrangements inother jurisdictions, including Tanzania.

ICT-relatedchallenges were highlighted, particularly the absence of the Court CaseAdministration System (CCAS) in some Magistrates’ Courts. It was agreed thatthe Deputy Chief Justice would convene a meeting with the ICT Department toaddress these issues. The matter of judicial attire was also discussed, withmembers agreeing to constitute a committee to review the current design ofjudicial attire, including wigs for Judges and Justices. It was further agreedthat the issue would be discussed at the Annual Judges Conference.

Inrelation to the Strategic Plan, members proposed that amendments shouldexplicitly recognise the role of advocates, provide for Alternative JusticeSystems, align Alternative Dispute Resolution with existing and proposedGovernment ADR policies, and strengthen collaboration with administrative andspecialised tribunals. The role of tribunals, particularly in collaborationwith the Judiciary, was noted as requiring clearer articulation.

Membersalso called for further elaboration of Chapter Seven of the Strategic Plan onrisk management, mitigation, planning and implementation to ensure it ispractical and actionable. Judicial wellness was identified as a critical arearequiring clearer institutionalisation and assignment of responsibility.

Performancemanagement issues were raised, including the need to incorporate qualitativeperformance indicators, review weighting scores under the PerformanceEnhancement Tool (PET), and extend the application of the tool across all courtlevels, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Themeeting also noted the need for improved coordination of donor support toensure comprehensive awareness of donor-funded activities within the Judiciary.

Itwas agreed that Judiciary Top Management would convene to approve the StrategicPlan. The Policy and Planning Department was tasked to prepare financialimplications for the construction of the Tower housing three High CourtDivisions at Nakawa, the International Crimes Division, the Anti-CorruptionDivision and the Criminal Division. Members further agreed to follow up withthe First Parliamentary Counsel to prioritise the drafting of the finalamendment Bill for the Magistrates' Courts Act.

Themeeting was attended by the Principal Judge, Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo;Justice of the Supreme Court, Lady Justice Prof. LillianTibatemwa-Ekirikubinza; Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice GeoffreyKiryabwire; Head of Jinja High Court Circuit, Justice Lawrence Gidudu; thePermanent Secretary/Secretary to the Judiciary, Dr. Pius Bigirimana; and theActing Chief Registrar, HW Lamunu Pamella Ocaya.

Alsopresent were the Under Secretary, Ms. Maureen Kasande, and Registrars; HWProssy Katushabe (High Court), HW Edoku John Paul (Planning and Development),HW Agnes Alum (Magistrates Affairs and Data Management), HW Dr. Alex MushabeKarocho (Private Legal Secretary to the Ag. Chief Justice), Mr. Simon PeterOpolot (Commissioner Policy and Planning), Mr. Stephen Emitu Naigo (AssistantCommissioner Accounts), Mr. Deo Kasozi (Assistant Commissioner Procurement),Eng. Priscilla Nakiboneka, Ag. Head Engineering and Technical Services, Mr.David Kikabi, Principal Information and Technology Officer, HW Julius Mwesigye (PersonalAssistant to the Deputy Chief Justice), HW Edger Nyakairu, (Personal Assistantto the Principal Judge), among others.