Kerry Howard Mwesigwa.
The Judiciary has deployed a considerable number of new judicial officers across various courts in the country. These appointments have resulted in the transfer of several existing judicial officers.
The Honorable Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo has in the past emphasized the importance of these recent appointments in enhancing access to justice for the people. He highlighted the Judiciary’s commitment to its Transformation Agenda and Judiciary Strategic Plan V, which aims to efficiently and effectively administer justice. The deployment of new officers is a crucial step towards achieving these goals.
The recent appointments, made in acting capacities, include 14 Deputy Registrars, 8 Assistant Registrars, and 20 Chief Magistrates. With these additions, the number of Deputy Registrars now stands at 43, Assistant Registrars at 19, and Chief Magistrates at 91.
The judiciary while announcing the deployments and transfers emphasized that the Chief Justice reflected on the staffing challenges faced at the beginning of his term and the significant increase in the number of judicial officers at the lower bench. Previously, many Chief Magistrates were responsible for multiple magisterial areas, leading to inefficiencies and reduced effectiveness. However, the recent deployments have addressed this issue by ensuring that each court has a resident Chief Magistrate. New Chief Magistrates have been deployed to Kalangala, Budaka, Bugiri, Butambala, Sembabule, Mitooma, Yumbe, and Bundibugyo, further improving access to justice.
These deployments and transfers were not only driven by the need to expand judicial coverage and bring services closer to the people but also aimed at addressing caseloads and reducing case backlog. Courts with high caseloads, such as Nakawa, Mbarara, and Mengo Chief Magistrates Court, have received additional Chief Magistrates to expedite case resolution. The High Court Division Registries, including Commercial, Land, and Family, have been reinforced with additional Deputy and Assistant Registrars to facilitate the timely hearing of interlocutory matters.
The Chief Registrar, HW Sarah Langa Siu, expressed her satisfaction with the progress made in implementing the expanded Judiciary structure. She reported that 43 out of 80 Deputy Registrar positions have been filled, representing 53.7% of the approved structure. Additionally, 19 out of 40 Assistant Registrar positions have been filled, representing 47.5%, while the number of Chief Magistrates stands at 91 out of the approved 160, accounting for 57% of the filled positions.
To further strengthen the Judiciary, attention is being given to the Inspectorate of Courts. Two additional Deputy Registrars have been deployed, bringing the total number to five. Honorable Justice Stephen Musota serves as the Chief Inspector of Courts, overseeing the Registrar and the five Deputies.
With these new appointments and transfers, the Judiciary expects a significant increase in case disposal rates. In the previous financial year, a total of 252,021 cases were disposed of, leaving 165,124 pending cases as of April 19. Among the pending cases, 46,151 are considered backlog, constituting 28% of the total caseload. The Judiciary remains committed to reducing the backlog and ensuring efficient and timely resolution of cases.
