Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has asked government to increase funding to the judiciary, saying inadequate budgetary allocations continue to undermine the administration of justice in Uganda.
Speaking to journalists during the opening of the new law year at the Judiciary headquarters in Kampala, Zeija said persistent funding gaps had constrained the courts’ ability to deliver justice in a timely and efficient manner.
“I want to welcome all members of the bench, the bar, stakeholders and court users to this new law year. However, we ask the vice-president, the attorney general and the minister for justice who are present to lobby for more funding, because our current budgetary allocations are inadequate,” Zeija said.
He disclosed that although Shs 3 trillion was required to implement the Judiciary’s strategic plan, only Shs 1.7 trillion was allocated, leaving a shortfall of Shs 1.3 trillion. He said the deficit had negatively affected key interventions such as court automation, infrastructure development and adjudication.
Zeija said staffing gaps remained a major challenge, noting that low staffing levels across all cadres and court levels continued to hinder performance and contribute to the growing case backlog.
He revealed that only 37 percent of the approved staff positions in the judiciary were filled. He expressed concern that despite an ongoing restructuring of the staff structure, the judiciary had not yet achieved substantial numbers for deployment.
The chief justice, who recently took over from Justice Owiny Dollo, also raised concern about delayed case completion and the rising backlog. By the close of the 2024 /2025 financial year, there were still 190,793 pending cases, including 46,181 classified as backlog cases.
He attributed the situation to high caseloads, limited numbers of judicial officers and restricted jurisdiction among some officers.
Other challenges highlighted included inadequate court infrastructure, interference with judicial independence, salary disparities, limited automation and poor integration of business processes.
Vice-president Jessica Alupo, who represented President Museveni at the event, pledged continued government support to the judiciary and commended judicial officers for promoting alternative dispute resolution and mediation to ease case congestion.
Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and the minister of Justice, Norbert Mao, assured the judiciary of increased government support.
The opening of the new law year comes amid a surge in election petitions filed by aggrieved parties following recent elections, as well as growing calls from political actors and the public for reforms to outdated legal frameworks.
