JUDICIARY Latest Features

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court today convened its District Coordination Committee (DCC) meeting, bringing together justice sector stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, improve access to justice and enhance service delivery within the court’s jurisdiction.

 

The meeting was chaired by the Chief Magistrate, HW Ritah Neumbe Kidasa, who welcomed the participants and commended the various justice sector institutions for their continued support and cooperation in advancing the administration of justice.

In her opening remarks, HW Kidasa emphasized that effective collaboration among justice actors remains essential for improving service delivery and ensuring timely access to justice. She urged stakeholders to sustain their partnership in addressing challenges affecting the justice system.

The Chief Magistrate briefed members on the recent amendments to the pecuniary jurisdiction of Magistrates’ Courts, noting that the jurisdiction of Chief Magistrates had been increased from UGX 50 million to UGX 200 million, while that of Magistrates had risen from UGX 20 million to UGX 100 million. She observed that the expanded jurisdiction is expected to increase the number of cases handled by the Court and called for enhanced preparedness among all justice sector institutions.

She highlighted the Court’s commitment to delivering quality justice and appealed to stakeholders to work together in addressing operational challenges, particularly delays in submitting police case files to court, which often result in unnecessary adjournments and prolong the resolution of cases.

HW Kidasa also reiterated the Judiciary’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption, highlighting measures the Court has instituted to combat the vice, including identifying and taking action against individuals who obstruct justice. She called upon all justice sector actors to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability.

The Chief Magistrate commended the judicial officers under her supervision for consistently meeting their monthly case disposal targets and encouraged them to maintain the same level of commitment in improving court performance.

She further underscored the court’s continued promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, including plea bargaining in criminal matters and community service, noting that these interventions have significantly contributed to reducing case backlog, decongesting prisons and facilitating timely, cost-effective and people-centred justice.

Speaking during the meeting, HW Nicholas Aisu, the Magistrate in Charge of City Hall Court, thanked the Alternative Dispute Resolution Registry and the Judicial Training Institute for organising the recently concluded Plea Bargain Camp at the Judicial Training Institute in Nakawa, where 941 cases were successfully concluded.

He further informed members that on 27 August 2026, he will lead a team of justice sector actors on a familiarisation visit to Kampala Remand Prison and Luzira Women’s Prison to assess the conditions of inmates and explore practical interventions for expediting the disposal of their cases.

The Officer in Charge of Courts for the Kampala Region, Senior Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Godfrey Kisuze, commended the Judiciary for its commitment to justice service delivery. He disclosed that the Kampala Region currently has 12,159 inmates, about 60 per cent of whom are on remand, underscoring the need for continued collaboration among justice sector institutions to reduce the remand population through timely case disposal and greater use of alternative justice mechanisms.

The meeting was attended by judicial officers attached to Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, representatives from the Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Uganda Law Society and other justice sector stakeholders committed to strengthening coordination and improving the delivery of justice.