Kampala– The Principal judge Jane Frances Abodo has officially flagged off the Mediation fortnight at the High Court Land Division in Kampala, with a view of reducing case backlog at this Division.
“This Settlement Fortnight comes at a critical time for the Land Division. In the third quarter, 1,067 new cases were registered, bringing the total pending caseload to 7,279 cases as at 31st march 2026. While 1,363 cases were disposed of, including 58 mediation cases, the Division still carries a significant backlog of 3,294 cases, representing 45.2% of the total pending workload.” Revealed Abodo
She also noted, that these statistics underscore the urgent need for innovative and focused interventions.
“When such cases remain unresolved for long periods, they lock up land, discourage investment, and erode public confidence in the justice system.”
Abodo also stated that it’s unfair for some one to enter Court expecting the matter to be disposed off within a short time, but instead end up spending more years in court thus leading to exhaustion, financial depletion and fractured relationships.
“In land justice, time lost is opportunity lost for families, investors, and the nation at large. This is why we are promoting a shift from adversarial litigation to constructive problem-solving through mediation and other ADR mechanisms.”
During this fortnight which will be running from 29th June 2026 to 10th July 2026, the Principal judge advised Judicial officers to prioritize oldest cases from the system, identify cases suitable for mediation as well as identifying and eliminating all inactive cases within the system.
Many cases are expected to be disposed off during this period through mediation, one of the popular means of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) within Uganda’s Judiciary.
The flagging off the Mediation Fortnight attracted Justices from High Court Land Division, Criminal Court Division, Registrars at various levels, Mediators and other Judicial staff.
