KAMPALA — Chief Justice Justice Dr Flavian Zeija on Tuesday met a delegation from the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) and the Netherlands Embassy at the Court of Appeal building in Kampala to review their long-standing partnership and discuss future priorities for justice reform in Uganda.
The meeting, led by IDLO Country Manager Ms Barbara Kilei, focused on institutional reform, performance management, access to justice, and continued collaboration between the Judiciary and its development partners.
The delegation included Mr Ode De Jong, First Secretary at the Netherlands Embassy; Ms Grace Babihuga, Governance and Human Rights Advisor at the Netherlands Embassy; Mr Alfred Hill, IDLO Programme Lead; Ms Joyce Freda Apio, Programme Manager; and Mr Samson Asiimwe, Programme Manager. Also present were HW Dr Mushabe Alex Karocho, Private Legal Secretary to the Chief Justice, and HW Mwesigye Julius, Personal Assistant to the Chief Justice.
In his remarks, the Chief Justice welcomed the delegation and expressed appreciation for IDLO’s sustained engagement with the Judiciary as a key national development partner. He reaffirmed the Judiciary’s long-term commitment to institutional strengthening and emphasized the importance of continuous dialogue on the future direction of Uganda’s justice system.
Reflecting on the depth of the partnership, Dr Zeija recalled that IDLO’s engagement with the Judiciary was already firmly established when he assumed office as Principal Judge in 2019. He commended the organisation’s contribution to justice delivery, the rule of law, and institutional resilience.
“You have consistently demonstrated that law is not merely a set of rules, but a living instrument for development, peace, and human dignity,” the Chief Justice said.
He described IDLO as a reliable and forward-looking partner whose technical assistance, capacity-building initiatives, research, and policy support have delivered practical and sustainable reforms.
Among the key contributions cited was IDLO’s four-year support to High Court quarterly performance review meetings. The initiative strengthened performance management through regular analysis of judicial statistics, data cleaning, peer learning among judges, improved identification of station-level challenges, informed resource allocation, and enhanced accountability.
The Chief Justice noted that the review meetings have since been institutionalised within the Judiciary’s annual activity plan and are now funded internally. Building on this success, he revealed plans to cascade similar performance review mechanisms to the Magistrates Courts and extend them to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as part of a broader strategy to deepen performance measurement and management across all court levels.
Dr Zeija also highlighted IDLO’s support to law reform through the Judiciary Law Reform Committee and the Rules Committee. During his tenure as Principal Judge, he said, 27 sets of Rules were developed with IDLO support, some of which are still undergoing finalisation.
He emphasized that meaningful institutional transformation must be anchored in continuous law reform, noting the need to update the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal Rules to respond to evolving technological and procedural demands.
Another significant area of collaboration discussed was the promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and the development of Alternative Justice Systems (AJS). The Chief Justice noted that IDLO supported the Judiciary’s engagement in the formulation of the National ADR Policy and the Alternative Justice Systems Strategy, both adopted in 2025.
“These frameworks recognise that formal court processes alone cannot adequately meet justice needs and must be complemented by mediation, arbitration, reconciliation, and other alternative mechanisms,” he said.
The meeting reaffirmed the Judiciary’s commitment to deepening reforms aimed at improving efficiency, expanding access to justice, and strengthening the rule of law through sustained partnerships with development actors.
