MPs allow govt to increase judges to 151

Parliament has passed the request by the Ministry of Justice to increase the number of High Court judges from 83 to 151.

The resolution was arrived at after the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Nobert Mao tabled the request before a plenary sitting chaired by Parliament Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa. 

"Thousands of acres of land cannot be used because of ejections based on disputes. There are also civil disputes that tie up trillions of Shillings. Family courts have so many cases and these have disabled the economic activity," Mao told MPs in defense of the proposal. 

He added: "In circumstances where some of our international partners are threatening us, we need to unclog the court system so that this money is released and flows back to the economy."

He also revealed that the government would at a later stage through the Judicature Amendment Bill,2023 seek to increase the number of Court of Appeal Justices from 15 to 56.

Speaking in support of the resolution, Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi reasoned that the move would speed up justice since the judiciary will have a higher man-power.

"…and because the funding has increased, it is imperative that judicial officers be spread out so that the need for justice can be achieved. The funding is gradually increasing. We can only achieve that value for money by having enough members on the bench…when you know that you can have your matter dealt with within six months other than 10 years," Kafuuzi observed on Tuesday

Considering that the judiciary had increased the number of judges, the Tayebwa advocated for a similar move in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

"You find [that] you have the judges and presiding officers but to get a state prosecutor is a tag of war. You also need to look at that as the ministry of justice," he said. 

Mao revealed that government has embarked on the process of recruiting more state prosecutors. 

"The other problem is the police in order to have 360° speed. We must also support the police to be worth the capacity to investigate crime because most of the time cases are delayed on grounds that investigations are still going on," Mao observed.

According to a 2022 annual judiciary report, Uganda had a total case backlog exceeding 50,000.