Chief Justice of Uganda, Alfonse Owiny Dollo, has asked President Museveni to appoint more Justices to the Supreme Court bench to help in solving the problem of case backlog.
He made this appeal while speaking at the 5th Benedicto Kiwanuka memorial lecture at the High Court Grounds, Kampala on Wednesday. According to Dollo, the Judiciary is struggling with the problem of case backlog because of limited manpower.
He further said this is still a big challenge for them. It, therefore, explains their plan to recruit at least 10 High Court judges this Financial Year.
Additionally, he said he intends to deploy more judges into the Commercial Court and at the Land Division, where big sums of money and land resources, respectively, are tied up.
He said that if more judges are recruited, the backlog of cases will significantly reduce and it will enhance access to justice services.
“Your Excellency, please allow me to seek your indulgence regarding the Supreme Court. I appeal for the appointment of Justices of the Supreme Court. This is to fill the acute staffing gap and allow us to deal with the case backlog. This has grown at that Court by 16.4 percent to 333 cases out of 686 last Financial Year (2021/2022) up from the previous 286 cases out of 614 cases during the previous F/Y 2020/2021. This growth of case backlog is mainly because the Court is not fully constituted,” Justice Dollo said.
He applauded the president for the Administration of the Judiciary Act, 2020 through which much has been gained. However, he stressed the much-needed administrative recruitment, promotion, and discipline of our Staff.
Similarly, he commended the president for the support he has given to the Judiciary, both financially, and security-wise.
Meanwhile, yesterday 21st September marked 50 years since Benedicto Kiwanuka, the first Black Chief Justice of Uganda died.
