The Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ), Hon. Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, on Thursday hosted the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Commissioner General, John Rujoki Musinguzi, at the Court of Appeal in Kampala for a high-level meeting aimed at strengthening judicial capacity in taxation and commercial law.
Also in attendance were Justice Andrew Khaukha, Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute (JTI), Catherine Kyokunda Donovan, URA Commissioner for Legal Services and Board Affairs and HW Julius Mwesigye, Personal Assistant to the DCJ.
During the engagement, it was revealed that JTI, with co-funding from URA, will conduct specialized training for Justices of the Court of Appeal in taxation law. DCJ Zeija welcomed the move, praising URA for supporting judicial knowledge enhancement in a field he described as highly technical and underexplored in traditional legal education.
Drawing from his early experience in the banking sector, Dr. Zeija noted the persistent gap between academic legal theory and practical financial application. He stressed that continuous professional training is essential for judicial officers to competently handle complex tax and commercial disputes.
The DCJ cited successful precedents at the Commercial Court, where specialized clusters such as the banking and URA divisions helped fast-track economically significant cases. He announced plans to introduce similar clusters at the Court of Appeal, beginning with URA-related appeals, once the upcoming training is completed.
He further proposed that taxation and commercial law trainings be institutionalized within the JTI’s annual program to ensure sustainability and strategic planning.
URA Commissioner General John Musinguzi applauded the Judiciary for embracing collaboration and recognizing the importance of technical competence in tax adjudication.
He reaffirmed URA’s commitment to supporting capacity-building initiatives, emphasizing that a well-equipped Judiciary contributes directly to efficient dispute resolution and economic progress.
