New judiciary twin buildings set for grand opening
A general view of the twin buildings to be commissioned in February 2024. PHOTO/HANDOUT
What you need to know:
- The twin tower buildings will save the judiciary at least Shs6b, which it annually pays in rent for the appellate courts.
The commissioning of the twin towers housing the appellate courts (the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal), has finally been set for February 9, the Judiciary has announced.
“The Judiciary will hold the annual judges conference from February 5-8, 2024. This conference will be followed by the official opening of the New Law year 2024 and the commissioning of the new appellate courts building on February 9, 2024,” reads in part, a notice from the Judiciary signed off by Chief Registrar Sarah Langa Siu to all court users.
Adding: “This is to inform you that all the judicial officers of the superior courts i.e the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the High Court, will be away for the conference and subsequently, the new law year and the commissioning of the appellate courts buildings. However, the registries of the courts will remain open.”
In December last year, Judiciary permanent secretary Pius Bigirimana, listed their 9 priorities for 2024 with the grand opening of the appellate court buildings among.
“First on the agenda is to shift the appellate courts from the rented premises to the new structures which we have completed,” Bigirimana told journalists in his end of year message to the court users.
“If all goes well, in February, we should be entering. That is going to be priority number one,” he added.
Initially, the Judiciary sought the contractor would finish the construction of the eight-storied twin buildings by July 2023 but it was not possible, forcing a deadline push to November 2023 which also failed.
Now, commissioning the twin tower buildings will save the judiciary at least Shs6b, which it annually pays in rent for the appellate courts.
The Judiciary spends about Shs10b annually to rent its court premises countrywide, meaning once they shake off the biggest chunk of rent for the two appellate courts, only about Shs4b will now be spent on rent annually.
The twin towers, whose construction has lasted about 3 years, are located just above the Constitutional Square, sharing the same location with the High Court.
Billed at Shs63.9b, the twin towers have a basement parking to accommodate 226 vehicles at a go, customized courthouses, modern courtrooms, chambers for justices, restaurant, gym, childcare centers, and a conference hall among other modern amenities.
