The Chief Justice, Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, has proposed a Judiciary-led framework for the administration of adjudicative tribunals, saying the move would improve coordination, strengthen adjudication, enhance institutional efficiency and expand access to justice while allowing the tribunals to maintain their policy links with their respective ministries.
Justice Zeija made the proposal on Monday during a courtesy meeting with members of the Leadership Code Tribunal, led by its Chairperson, Dr. Roselyn Karugonjo-Ssegawa, at the Supreme Court Building in Kampala.
The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration between the Judiciary and the Leadership Code Tribunal, enhancing institutional capacity, advancing digital transformation and exploring reforms to improve the administration of adjudicative tribunals in Uganda.
Justice Zeija commended the Tribunal for its contribution to the fight against corruption, describing its work as critical in promoting accountability and integrity in public service despite the complexity of corruption-related cases.
He noted that Uganda still needed to strengthen aspects of its anti-corruption legal framework, particularly on the confiscation of property acquired through corruption.
The Chief Justice said although the Anti-Corruption Act, as amended in 2015, requires the Chief Justice to make rules governing the confiscation of property, the regulations have not yet been finalised.
He revealed that draft rules have already been prepared and are currently before the Law Reform Committee before being submitted to the Rules Committee, which he chairs.
Justice Zeija expressed confidence that the regulations would be completed before the end of the year, saying they would provide a clear legal framework for confiscation proceedings before both the Leadership Code Tribunal and the Anti-Corruption Court.
The Chief Justice also briefed the delegation on the Judiciary’s plans to establish a state-of-the-art Judicial Training Institute in Nakasongola.
He said the institute will feature residential accommodation, recreational facilities and modern training infrastructure to support the Judiciary and other justice sector institutions.
Drawing lessons from Mozambique, Justice Zeija said a single judicial training institution can effectively serve multiple justice sector agencies, reducing duplication while ensuring better use of public resources. He encouraged the Leadership Code Tribunal to utilise the institute for capacity building once it becomes operational.
He further invited Tribunal members to participate in the Judiciary’s regular training programmes on rules of procedure, case management and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
Justice Zeija praised the Tribunal for embracing ADR, describing it as an effective tool for speeding up dispute resolution. He cited the Commercial Court’s successful mediation of 97 banking disputes within a short period as an example of ADR’s growing impact.
On digital transformation, the Chief Justice urged the Tribunal to automate its operations to improve efficiency and meet the evolving expectations of court users.
