KAMPALA– The Administration of Justice Programme Working Group (PWG) yesterday held its first meeting under the National Development Plan IV (NDP IV) at the Court of Appeal Conference Hall in Kampala.
The meeting was chaired by Ms. Agnes Kainza Nzogi, Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, who represented the Chairperson of the PWG, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Judiciary.
The meeting focused on the Programme Annual Performance Report for FY 2024/25, Medium Term Expenditure Framework allocations for FY 2026/27, the Administration of Justice Project, the project profile for the second phase of “Enhancing Prosecution Services for All,” as well as the highlights of the Programme Strategy for the period 2025/26 to 2029/30.
In her remarks, Ms. Kainza noted that the Programme had made significant progress during the year under review. Among the achievements registered were an increase in the coverage of justice service delivery points, a reduction in case backlog, a slight reduction in case disposal lead times, improved handling of complaints, and a high conviction rate. She, however, pointed out several challenges that continued to affect performance, including slow implementation of automation and integration of business processes, inadequate capacity of justice actors, limited funding from development partners, and coordination gaps resulting from the late inclusion of some critical institutions.
She observed that under NDP IV, the Programme has expanded from eight to twelve institutions, bringing in the Inspectorate of Government to handle corruption-related prosecutions, the Ministry of Local Government in relation to the management of Local Council Courts, the Ministry of Internal Affairs covering the Government Analytical Laboratory and Community Service, and Kampala Capital City Authority.
She said that the inclusion of these institutions would bridge critical gaps in implementation and strengthen coordination for a more efficient justice system. Ms. Kainza further revealed that during the recent Budget Conference held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, preliminary results of the National Annual Performance Assessment for FY 2024/25 indicated that the Administration of Justice Programme was among the best performers.
It scored 72.7 percent compared to the Government average of 40 percent.
She added that following the approval of the Programme Implementation Action Plan for NDP IV by the National Planning Authority, the Secretariat had developed a detailed strategy to coordinate and implement the plan during the next five years.
Mr. Simon Peter Opolot, Commissioner for Policy and Planning at the Judiciary, presented
the proposed allocation for FY 2026/27, noting that the available funds would be crucial in preparing the Budget Framework Paper. Mr. Benjamin Kachero, Senior Economist at the Judiciary, presented a draft summary of the Programme Annual Performance Report for FY 2024/25, outlining the financial performance, programme results and challenges.
He also highlighted the strategic direction of the new five-year Programme Strategy, explaining the rationale for its development, its implementation framework, communication and feedback mechanisms, and the associated risks and mitigation measures.
Further presentations were made by Mr. Herbert Arinaitwe, Assistant Commissioner for Compliance Monitoring at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on the Strengthening Access to Justice Project for the period 2025/26 to 2029/30, and by Mr. Kenneth Muhwezi, Principal Economist at the ODPP, who outlined the profile of the second phase of the Enhancing Prosecution Services for all projects.
