Masaka City leaders back lawyers’ sit-down strike

Leaders of Masaka City Council and the business community have thrown their weight behind the ongoing sit-down strike by lawyers in the Masaka Sub-region, calling for the urgent deployment of more judicial officers.

The lawyers laid down their tools on Monday, June 16, demanding that the Judiciary immediately deploy at least five additional High Court judges and five registrars to the Masaka Court Circuit.

Addressing journalists at her office on Wednesday, Masaka City Mayor Florence Namayanja said the city is stuck with several unresolved court cases due to delays in High Court proceedings — delays she attributed to the limited number of judicial officers in the region.

She questioned how only one High Court judge and one registrar can effectively serve the entire circuit, which covers nine districts and the city.

“With the growing population and expanding business activity, the current number of judicial officers is simply not enough to handle the rising case backlog,” she said. “Delays in the dispensation of justice in one of the oldest and busiest High Court circuits like Masaka are not only frustrating but also cause huge losses to the business community, which affects the entire regional economy.”

Namayanja, who also serves as the National Unity Platform (NUP) coordinator for Greater Masaka, said the situation is dire for political prisoners in the region, many of whom remain on remand due to the absence of sufficient judges.

“As mayor and as NUP coordinator for the sub-region, I want to speak on behalf of political prisoners in Greater Masaka. The strike by advocates is a major blow to their hope for justice. If this industrial action persists, their already bad situation will deteriorate further,” she said.

Vincent Kasumba of the Masaka City Development Forum echoed similar concerns, noting that business owners are stuck with unresolved commercial disputes that require High Court intervention.

“When cases stall in court, it disrupts the business environment and contributes to rising crime rates. We hope the Judiciary will listen to our appeal and deploy more judges,” Kasumba said.

Alexander Lule, president of the Law Society Masaka Chapter, said their strike will continue until the Judiciary addresses their concerns.

“We only have one High Court judge in the entire circuit, which is not enough to deal with the mounting case backlog. We appreciate all who have seen the logic behind our action and joined the call. We hope the responsible authorities will act on the growing public outcry,” he said.

As of April, the Masaka High Court registry had a total of 4,290 pending cases. These include 1,141 civil cases, 1,188 land disputes, and 455 family-related matters, among others.

Last weekend, Judiciary spokesperson James Ereemye Mawanda urged lawyers to remain calm, saying efforts are ongoing to lobby for the appointment of more judges. He noted that the case backlog is a national challenge that the Judiciary is working to resolve.