JUDICIARY Latest Features

The Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija (L) with Dr Katja Yvonne Kerschbaumer, Head of the Austrian Embassy/Development Cooperation in Uganda

The Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija, has met Dr Katja Yvonne Kerschbaumer, Head of the Austrian Embassy/Development Cooperation in Uganda, to review ongoing cooperation and explore future areas of engagement with the Judiciary.

The meeting, held at the Court of Appeal building in Kampala, focused on strengthening collaboration between Austria and the Judiciary, particularly in the areas of judicial reform, access to justice, and institutional development.

Dr. Kerschbaumer congratulated the Chief Justice on his elevation and recalled previous collaboration with him under a UN Women programme. She briefed him on the Austria-funded UN Women project on gender-based violence, which runs from December 2024 to November 2027, highlighting activities already undertaken. These include project launches in Masaka and Gulu, a joint monitoring visit to Masaka, training of judicial officers, and the handover of forensic crime-scene equipment to the Police.

She raised concerns regarding leadership and coordination of the project and proposed that the Chief Justice serve as a champion of the initiative, while maintaining the involvement of the Principal Judge and Heads of Court in the project areas. She emphasized that UN Women remains the implementing agency and should lead on planning, logistics, and scheduling of activities, noting that previous challenges had arisen from unclear coordination. She further underscored the importance of enhancing the project's visibility through a clear communication strategy, including information materials and media engagement.

Dr. Kerschbaumer informed the Chief Justice that Austria is chairing the Justice Development Partners Group for the third time this year, with the Netherlands Embassy serving as co-chair in preparation for a future handover. She observed growing interest among development partners in engaging more directly with the Judiciary due to its institutional independence and encouraged the Judiciary to further structure and strengthen its engagement with justice sector partners.

She also highlighted other ongoing and planned Austrian-supported initiatives with judicial components, including projects with the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Development Law Organization. These initiatives focus on sexual and reproductive health rights, anti-corruption, and case backlog reduction. She noted strong interest among development partners in judicial reforms that support infrastructure development and environmental protection, including the establishment of an Environmental Court and the fast-tracking of environmental and infrastructure-related cases to enhance investor confidence.

In his response, the Chief Justice welcomed Austria's continued support and agreed on the need to review the status of the UN Women project. He indicated that he would convene a meeting with Judiciary teams responsible for implementation, with UN Women representatives included, to assess progress and agree on the next steps.

The Chief Justice shared his vision for establishing specialized courts and tracks, particularly an Environmental Court as a Division of the High Court, with corresponding units at magistrates' courts to enable faster disposal of environmental and infrastructure-related disputes. He emphasized the importance of timely resolution of cases involving compulsory land acquisition for public infrastructure projects in order to avoid delays that hinder development.

The Chief Justice also highlighted plans to decentralize the Inspectorate of Courts to more effectively address corruption at the regional level and stressed the need to strengthen customer care and service delivery within the Judiciary.