The Chief Executive Officer of FIDA Uganda, Ms Liliane Byarugaba Adriko, today paid a courtesy call on the Principal Judge, Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, at her chambers in Kampala to discuss how to improve access to justice, particularly for women, children and other vulnerable groups.
Lady Justice Abodo described FIDA Uganda as “home” to her and expressing appreciation for the organisation’s congratulatory message following her appointment. She commended FIDA Uganda for its longstanding contribution to legal aid and its unwavering commitment to ensuring justice reaches vulnerable communities across Uganda
The Principal Judge observed that the Judiciary’s partnership with FIDA Uganda has had a visible impact, even in some of the country’s most remote areas, where the organisation continues to provide legal services to those most in need.
She emphasised that while the Judiciary bears the constitutional responsibility of administering justice, it cannot achieve this mandate in isolation and therefore relies on strong partnerships with organizations such as FIDA Uganda.
Lady Justice Abodo called on the organisation to support the Judiciary’s efforts to promote Alternative Justice Systems (AJS), Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), mediation and plea bargaining through sustained public awareness and community sensitisation. She noted that many court users remain unaware of these mechanisms, which provide faster, more affordable and less adversarial avenues for resolving disputes. She also encouraged FIDA Uganda to continue mentoring young lawyers, stressing that the legal profession should be anchored in integrity, service and a commitment to healing society.
Nsangi Chief Magistrate, HW Winfred Naigaga Kyobiika, a former Board Member of FIDA Uganda, congratulated the Principal Judge upon her appointment and thanked her for receiving the team. She highlighted the strong partnership that has existed between the Judiciary and FIDA Uganda through legal aid, advocacy and public interest litigation aimed at protecting the rights of women, children and other vulnerable members of society.
Speaking on behalf of FIDA Uganda, Ms Adriko congratulated Lady Justice Abodo on her appointment and described her as a long-standing champion of access to justice whose leadership continues to inspire the organisation.
She also recognised HW Kyobiika’s contribution during her tenure on the FIDA Uganda Board, particularly in strengthening collaboration with the International Association of Women Judges–Uganda Chapter, promoting gender-responsive jurisprudence through judicial exchanges, and supporting initiatives such as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
Ms Adriko said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss practical challenges affecting women’s access to justice while identifying areas for deeper collaboration between the Judiciary and the organization.
While commending the Judiciary for reforms aimed at reducing case backlog, expanding Alternative Dispute Resolution, improving case management, strengthening court infrastructure and advancing digital justice through the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS). She noted that many women and vulnerable court users continue to face significant barriers. These include long distances to courts, delays in case disposal, limited digital literacy and access, inadequate communication regarding adjournments, and accessibility challenges faced by persons with disabilities.
Drawing from FIDA Uganda’s legal aid experience, Ms Adriko proposed harmonising formal and customary justice systems to better protect women and children, improving communication with litigants whenever court sessions are adjourned or judicial officers are unavailable, expanding circuit court sessions to underserved communities, and dedicating additional judicial attention to family and succession matters.
She further called for increased disability inclusion through accessible court infrastructure and interpretation services, a people-centred approach to digitalisation that leaves no one behind, and continued judicial training on gender-responsive justice, disability inclusion, customary law and emerging legal issues.
Ms Adriko also proposed a structured partnership under which accredited FIDA Uganda Legal Officers and trained Community Legal Volunteers would support court-annexed mediation in appropriate civil matters under the Judiciary’s supervision.
Highlighting the challenges faced by island communities, she appealed for targeted interventions to reduce the high transport costs incurred by litigants who often travel long distances only to find court sessions adjourned or judicial officers unavailable without prior communication. She welcomed the Judiciary’s acquisition of a speedboat to improve outreach to island courts and expressed hope that additional vessels would further strengthen justice delivery to hard-to-reach communities.
She also called for deliberate measures to prioritise cases involving women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigent litigants, whose vulnerability often presents additional obstacles to accessing justice. She urged the Judiciary to continue making digital justice more accessible by supporting court users to navigate ECCMIS and requested closer collaboration with the Judicial Training Institute in delivering specialised capacity-building programmes for judicial officers and justice sector stakeholders.
Reaffirming FIDA Uganda’s commitment, Ms Adriko said the organisation remains ready to work closely with the Judiciary in building a justice system that is accessible, inclusive, timely and responsive to the needs of all Ugandans.
Responding to the proposals, Lady Justice Abodo welcomed the recommendations and assured the delegation that the Judiciary would implement matters within its mandate while escalating broader policy issues to the Chief Justice and the Judiciary’s Top Management.
She acknowledged the unique challenges affecting island communities and disclosed that the Judiciary plans to acquire an additional speedboat during the coming financial year to strengthen justice delivery in island areas. She added that mobile courts and expanded mediation services would further improve access to justice in underserved communities.
The Principal Judge welcomed FIDA Uganda’s proposal to support court-annexed mediation and directed that discussions with the Judicial Training Institute commence immediately to facilitate the training and accreditation of FIDA Uganda Legal Officers as court-annexed mediators.
She also acknowledged concerns regarding poor communication whenever judicial officers are away on training, leave or other official assignments, noting that the Judiciary is strengthening planning and coordination with the Judicial Training Institute to minimise disruptions to court schedules and improve communication with court users.
On family and succession matters, Lady Justice Abodo said the Judiciary has already prioritised interventions aimed at reducing delays, including deploying visiting judges to the Family Division and exploring dedicated judicial capacity to handle urgent family disputes more expeditiously.
She reaffirmed the Judiciary’s commitment to disability inclusion through improved court infrastructure, continuous enhancement of ECCMIS, stakeholder training and the development of a justice system that leaves no one behind.
The Principal Judge further welcomed continued feedback from justice sector partners, noting that such engagements are essential to improving service delivery. She pledged that the issues raised would be presented to the Judiciary’s Top Management for consideration and that feedback would be provided on immediate, medium and long-term interventions.
The meeting was also attended by Ms Deborah Mirembe Okia, Project Coordinator; Ms Elizabeth Kemigisha, Advocacy Manager; Ms Gloria Babirye, Communications Officer; and HW Edger Nyakairu, Personal Assistant to the Principal Judge.
Posted 8th, July 2026
