The Judiciary of Uganda has released its National Court Case Census 2025 Report, which shows that courts across the country are grappling with a total of 167,353 pending cases at all levels.
The High Court bears the greatest burden, with 70,006 unresolved cases, followed by the Chief Magistrates’ Courts, which have 64,937 pending matters, making them the courts with the heaviest workload nationwide.
While launching the report at the Judiciary Headquarters in Kampala, Chief Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija said the administration of justice has long been constrained by the absence of comprehensive and reliable data on court caseloads.
“Without credible data, it is extremely difficult to plan effectively, distribute resources fairly, identify systemic bottlenecks, or assess institutional performance,” Dr. Zeija said.
He explained that the National Court Case Census 2025 directly addresses this gap by marking a shift from reliance on assumptions and anecdotal evidence to reforms informed by facts, statistics, and empirical analysis.
According to the Chief Justice, the report provides a clear picture of the Judiciary’s performance, highlighting areas of progress, existing challenges, and sectors that require urgent attention. He added that although Article 126 of the Constitution mandates the Judiciary to exercise judicial power in line with the law and the values of the people, this responsibility cannot be fully fulfilled without dependable data.
The 2025 census is the second of its kind, conducted ten years after the first National Court Case Census in 2015. Dr. Zeija commended the Judiciary for notable improvements over the past decade, particularly in data analysis and the expanded use of digital systems such as the Court Case Administration System (CCAS) and the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS).
Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo, who also spoke at the launch, said the report will enable the Judiciary to identify long-standing cases and formulate strategies to address them.
“This report shows us where we are and where we want to go,” Justice Abodo said, adding that the findings will be actively used to enhance judicial performance.
Key Findings of the Report
Criminal cases account for the largest share of pending matters at 65,709 cases, followed by civil cases with 44,911 and land cases with 33,496, among other categories.
In terms of case age, about 72 percent of pending cases are less than two years old. However, 2,327 cases have been pending for more than ten years, indicating a significant backlog.
At the High Court, 25,098 cases fall within the backlog category, while Chief Magistrates’ Courts account for 13,128 backlog cases.
Regionally, the Central Region recorded the highest number of backlog cases at 16,224, while the Northern Region had the lowest, with 3,915 cases.
The total value of pending civil cases stands at UGX 14.2 trillion, of which UGX 10.73 trillion is at the High Court and UGX 3.36 trillion at the Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court.
Commercial cases account for UGX 1.72 trillion, family cases UGX 1.05 trillion, and Small Claims cases UGX 15.77 billion.
The Judiciary says the report’s findings will inform reforms aimed at reducing case backlogs and improving access to justice nationwide.
