Entebbe — Justices of the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court have begun a week-long induction and training programme aimed at improving the delivery of justice and addressing the persistent backlog of cases.
The five-day training, taking place at the Imperial Golf Course Hotel in Entebbe, was officially opened by the Deputy Chief Justice, Dr. Flavian Zeija, who emphasized the importance of the exercise in enhancing competence, efficiency, and teamwork among the justices.
“This training will enrich and build teamwork amongst us, foster collegiality, and enable us to share practical experiences and challenges that will, in turn, improve our productivity as the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court,”said Dr. Zeija.
Highlighting the growing workload, Dr. Zeija revealed that the Court currently has 13,474 pending cases registered in the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS).
“The question now is, how do we as a court deliver timely and effective justice in the face of such a heavy workload? I believe this induction gives us an opportunity to discuss pertinent questions affecting the Court and to inform our planning,”he added.
Among the key issues expected to be addressed during the induction are:
How the Court and individual justices are performing;
The balance between new case filings and disposal rates;
The number of sessions and panels required annually to meet justice demands;
The adequacy of available resources.
Dr. Zeija also pointed out procedural challenges within the Court’s rules that hinder efficiency.
“For instance, in civil matters, a Memorandum of Appeal constitutes an appeal, while in criminal matters, filing a Notice of Appeal does the same—even when a party has no intention of pursuing it. This creates unnecessary backlog and inconsistency,” he noted.
He further questioned how the Court could expedite decision-making, suggesting discussions on whether timelines should be set for justices to comment on draft judgments and how the Court can ensure value-for-money adjudication.
Meanwhile, Justice Mike Chibita, Chairperson of the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) Management Committee, encouraged judicial officers to embrace continuous learning.
“Learning never stops. As judicial officers, we must always be ready to learn new things to improve our service to the public,” Justice Chibita said.
The training is being conducted in partnership with the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO), the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), and the Judicial Training Institute (JTI).
Throughout the week, participants will engage in interactive plenary discussions, team-building activities, and experience-sharing sessions aimed at strengthening institutional performance and collaboration.
