Soroti, Uganda | Uganda’s Judiciary requires at least 60 more High Court judges to meet its staffing needs, Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has said, as cultural leaders in Teso renewed calls for decentralised justice services.
Justice Zeija revealed the staffing shortfall during the Soroti High Court Open Day on Monday, where leaders from the Iteso and Kumam cultural institutions urged the Judiciary to deploy more judicial officers to underserved districts.
“We are supposed to have 150 High Court judges, but we currently have only 90. We still need another 60 judges. Our efforts are tied to government funding,” the Chief Justice said, adding that recruitment would depend on the availability of resources.
The leaders, led by the Iteso Cultural Leader Papa Paul Sande Emolot Etomeileng and Kumam Cultural Leader Papa Raphael Otaya, argued that inadequate judicial presence in districts such as Kapelebyong, Butebo and parts of Pallisa continues to limit access to justice.
They asked the Judiciary to deploy full-time Grade One Magistrates to remote districts and operationalise additional High Court circuits to ease the burden on Soroti.
The Emorimor said long travel distances and transport costs discourage many residents from pursuing legal redress, particularly in civil and family matters.
“We must bring justice closer to the people. Access to courts should not depend on one’s ability to travel long distances,” he said.
Won Ateker, on his part, called for stronger community engagement initiatives, proposing district-level open days for magistrates to promote transparency and build public confidence in the justice system.
Justice Zeija said the Judiciary is exploring partnerships with traditional leaders to strengthen alternative dispute resolution mechanisms at community level as a way of reducing case backlog.
“We are training traditional leaders to help handle minor disputes within communities so that only complex matters proceed to court,” he said.
The Soroti High Court Open Day is part of a nationwide Judiciary outreach programme aimed at enhancing public awareness, accountability and trust in the justice system.
Leaders pledged to work with the Judiciary to promote a people-centred justice system, even as concerns over staffing and funding remain a major hurdle to expanding court services in rural Uganda.
