CJ Unveils Judiciary's 4th Annual Performance Report, Highlights Achievements and Challenges
Hon. Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny - Dollo, Chief Justice (L) with Hon. Justice Zeija, Principal Judge at the launch of the Annual Performance Report
The Hon. Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny - Dollo, today launched the Judiciary's 4th Annual Performance Report for the Financial Year 2023/24 at the Supreme Court Building Conference Hall in Kampala. The launch was witnessed by Justices, Judges, Registrars, Magistrates, and key justice stakeholders.
In his remarks, the Chief Justice highlighted that presenting the Annual Performance Report is provided for by Section 39(1) of the Administration of the Judiciary Act, 2020. It provides a FY overview of the Judiciary's activities, achievements, and challenges.
He noted that the report for FY 2023/24 reflects the Judiciary's commitment to transparency and accountability, showing efforts to enhance access to justice.
Key Highlights of the Report
The report indicates that the Judiciary received a total budget allocation of UGX392.545 for FY 2023/24, an increase from UGX381.6 billion allocated in the previous Financial Year. Chief Justice Owiny - Dollo noted that this increased funding enabled the Judiciary to deliver on its mandate through various initiatives, including innovations in case management, law reforms, and embracing technology in justice delivery.
One of the notable achievements highlighted in the report is the completion of 239,431 cases out of a total caseload of 401,269.
According to the Chief Justice, this marks a significant reduction in the pending caseload, which was 161,838 cases at the end of the financial year.
The report attributed this progress to the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) mechanisms like Plea Bargaining, Small Claims Procedure (SCP), and mediation.
According to the report, Plea Bargaining recorded a 22% rise in cases settled, up from 5,246 in FY 2022/23 to 6,408 in FY 2023/24, which helped reduce prison congestion. Small Claims Procedure was expanded to 203 courts, resulting in the resolution of 23,567 cases and the recovery of UGX17,993,850,733 billion shillings in claims.
The report also highlights Judiciary's significant strides in legislative reforms aimed at improving access to justice. The Judicature (Amendment)Act, 2024, proposes to increase the number of Justices of Appeal from 15 to 35,including the Deputy Chief Justice. Furthermore, the report shows that Parliament passed a resolution to increase the structure of High Court Judges from 82 to 151, including the Principal Judge.
Another key achievement was the completion of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal buildings, commissioned earlier in the year by President Yoweri Museveni. These state-of-the-art facilities provide a conducive environment for justice delivery, according to the report.
Despite these achievements, the Report noted significant challenges. Understaffing remains a critical issue, with limited manpower across all cadres and court levels hindering performance and contributing to case backlog. Delayed adjudication of cases and case backlog accounted for 26.32% of the pending caseload, with 42,588 cases classified as backlog.
While presenting these statistics, the Chief Justice shared that his Namibian counterpart recently joked about the size of Uganda's population compared to the number of judicial officers the country has. The Namibian Chief Justice mentioned that Namibia has a population of 3 million and 35 judges.
In contrast, the Chief Justice pointed out that Uganda has only 655 judicial officers serving 45 million people. He recognized that these judicial officers work hard but are overwhelmed. He noted that in Namibia, a case is considered backlog after six months, while in Uganda, it takes two years.
The CJ emphasized that increasing the number of judicial officers could improve Uganda Judiciary's service delivery. He noted that if this happens, judicial officers would need to explain any delays in resolving cases.
The report also indicates that inadequate budgetary support also poses a significant challenge, making it difficult to fund basic services and court infrastructure. Most court buildings are old and dilapidated, with some operating in rented premises, costing the Judiciary 11 billion shillings in rent annually.
According to the Report, corruption and bribery within the Judiciary remain a concern, with issues such as court clerks giving wrong dates or hiding case files, middlemen extorting money allegedly to influence bail or judgment decisions, and refusal to serve court notices, proceedings, judgments, or orders among other challenges.
Looking ahead, the Report outlined priorities for FY 2024/25. These include recruiting more Judicial Officers, tackling case backlog, promoting ADR, and upgrading court facilities. Plans to improve the Judiciary's efficiency also include amendments to the Magistrates Courts Act to expand their civil jurisdiction, revising court rules to simplify case management, and acquiring land for new court buildings.
Additionally, the Judiciary intends to procure more vehicles and equipment to support Judicial Officers, particularly those in remote areas.
Efforts to enhance technology in the courts will continue, with the expansion of the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) to 18 additional courts. Video conferencing systems will be installed in the International Crimes Division and the Anti-Corruption Division, and completion of the Judgement Writing Tool to assist judicial in Judgement writing.
The Judiciary also aims at addressing power supply issues in remote courts by procuring generators and installing solar systems to help improve court operations in areas affected by frequent power outages, ensuring smoother judicial processes.
Posted 11th, October 2024
