The Judiciary’s Performance Management and Awards Committee today held its first-quarter meeting for the Financial Year 2026/2027, with discussions focusing on the rollout of the Performance Enhancement Tool (PET), strengthening performance-based recognition and ensuring that awards are supported by clear and verifiable data.
The meeting was held at the Supreme Court in Kampala and was chaired by the Committee Chairperson and Supreme Court Justice, Justice Mike Chibita.
Justice Chibita acknowledged that implementation of the Judiciary’s performance management and awards programme had not progressed at the anticipated pace due to financial and technical challenges.
“Performance management and awards—we are expected to have gone further than we are. By now, we should have rolled out much further. But due to reasons beyond our control, some financial and some technical, we are still not where we want to be. However, we are some distance,” Justice Chibita said.
He commended the Committee Secretariat and the Judiciary’s Information Technology team for their efforts in ensuring that implementation continues despite the challenges.
Justice Chibita highlighted a milestone in the Committee’s work; the recognition of Lady Justice Patience Tumusiime Rubagumya for her outstanding performance during the recent Banking Dispute Settlement Fortnight at the Commercial Division of the High Court.
The settlement initiative brought together Judges of the Commercial Division, Mediators as well as stakeholders from the banking sector and resulted in the resolution of disputes worth about Shs100 billion.
Lady Justice Rubagumya was recognised after settling the highest number of cases during the exercise. “Lady Justice Patience emerged as the one who settled the most cases. Working with the Judicial Training Institute, we decided to award her on that day,” Justice Chibita said.
He noted that the Commercial Division has since embarked on another settlement fortnight targeting trade, construction and corporate disputes, providing another opportunity to assess and recognise outstanding performance.
Justice Chibita emphasised, however, that recognition under the programme must be anchored in objective and verifiable performance information.
The Committee also received an update on the implementation of Phase One of the Judiciary’s Performance Enhancement Tool.
Chief Magistrates, Magistrates and System Administrators have been onboarded onto the PET survey, while 123 out of the targeted 193 users have so far activated their performance plans.
Sensitisation on the use of the digital tool is continuing to strengthen understanding and uptake among users.
Information, Education and Communication materials are also being developed to increase public awareness of PET and provide guidance on how court users can access the tool and participate in the appraisal process.
The public-facing component of the Tool is intended to provide court users with an opportunity to contribute feedback on service delivery, strengthening the Judiciary’s broader performance management framework.
The next phase of implementation will focus on onboarding additional categories of Judiciary personnel, including selected Magistrates and administrative staff, to enable them to commence performance planning through the Tool.
The Committee will also prioritise the continued compilation and analysis of performance data generated through PET.
The data is expected to provide an increasingly important basis for monitoring individual and institutional performance, identifying areas requiring improvement and supporting objective recognition of outstanding performance.
Posted 17th, August 2026
