(L-R) Hon. Justice Dr Zeija (Principal Judge) and Hon. Justice Chibita who represented the Chairperson of Case Backlog Monitoring Committee
On Monday June 27, 2022, Judges heading Divisions and Circuits spent the day at Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo for a joint retreat to discuss the extent of compliance of resolutions of the Annual Judges' Conference on caseload management.
The retreat was flagged off by the Deputy Chief Justice (as Chairperson of Case Backlog Monitoring Committee) represented by Supreme Court Justice, Hon. Justice Mike Chibita.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the DCJ, Hon. Justice Chibita emphasized the need to deliver justice expeditiously. "We have seen quite a bit of progress, but we cannot talk about progress without a review of the role you have played in ensuring that cases are disposed of in an expeditious manner," he said. Adding that such retreats are not only essential for planning purposes, but also for sharpening the adjudication skills of the judges through sharing experiences and best practices.
Hon. Justice Chibita observed that there is already registered progress after the resumption of operations, in the aftermath of COVID-19 interruption of the efforts towards reduction of backlog.
He, however, relayed that the Principal Judge and his team are now allocating resources based on caseload and workload, "so where there is a lot of good performance and a lot of disposal of cases, I think resources will be attracted to such a station and then we expect that more disposal will take place."
The Principal Judge, Hon. Justice Dr Flavian Zeija, recalled that a similar retreat on March 25,2022 resolved that meetings be held to review the performance of the High Court.
"At this retreat, we will review performance of each station for the Financial Year 2021/2022, that is the period from July 2021 to May 2022, propose strategies for further reduction of case workload and case backlog and for improving the general image of the High Court in particular and the Judiciary in general. We will also review costed work plans for the Financial Year 2022/2023 and set targets for the next quarter," the PJ said.
Adding, "these reviews are crucial in helping us identify areas where Circuits and Divisions need support, so that, we can mobilize resources to deal with challenges that affect their performance."
Their Lordships are expected to benchmark best practices from other stations, with the view of enabling them to improve performance at their respective stations. This will help in ensuring efficiency in the delivery of judicial services and lead to total elimination of case backlog.
The Justices are today participating in Plea Bargain Conference as part of the retreat. According to the Principal Judge, although Plea Bargain is generally performing well, the Court of Appeal has raised concerns over certain decisions of the High Court arising from Plea Bargains. Some of those decisions will be shared, discussed and redress found during the session.
Hon. Justice Dr Zeija joined Hon. Justice Chibita in thanking International Development Law Organization (IDLO) for partnering with the Judiciary in organizing the retreat and for supporting its activities aimed at promoting justice for all. They also welcomed, Ms Kilei Barbra, the new Country Director for IDLO.
In attendance is the Registrar High Court, HW Samuel Emokor and the Judiciary Technical Advisor, Mr Andrew Khaukha, Soroti Assistant Registrar, HW Jessica Chemeri, among others.
Posted 27th, June 2022
