Ugandan government adds funds to the judiciary to build better efficient services

Kampala, Uganda (Commonwealth Union)_Given the massive court case backlog faced by the Ugandan judicial system, the Government has allocated 9.1 trillion shillings for justice, governance, legislature, and administration of justice in a bid to reduce the case backlog in courts by at least six thousand by end June 2024. This was revealed by Finance Minister Matia Kasaiji during his budget presentation for the year 2023/24 in parliament this week. Currently, over 50,000 cases are outstanding.  

This move aims to enhance justice in Uganda with all 119 districts with justice delivery points, aiming to conclude their case backlogs.  Frontline criminal and civil justice delivery points include police stations, courts, prisons, prosecution services and legal aid services.

The Minister also gave a progress report on the construction progress of the court buildings including the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal buildings in Kampala, the Soroti and Rukungiri, and the High Court buildings in Alebtong, Lyantode, and Budaka.  He also stated that the Magistrate’s Courts in Karanga, Patongo, and Abim are yet to be completed.

Kasaija made a further commitment to build and develop the aspects of the security of persons, the capacity of intelligence and security services to address security concerns, and build a national defense capability, which he stated, is vital for the governance and justice system to function optimally.

Uganda maintained its growth projection at 6 percent from a forecast of 5.5 percent previously and reduced its budget deficit forecast to 3.5 percent for the coming fiscal year from 5.1 percent this year, drawing commendation from the International Monetary Fund.  The country is expected to spend 8.7 trillion shillings in external debt repayments in 2023/24.   Oil will be a major contributor to economic activity with the planned construction of a crude oil refinery, crude oil export pipeline, and a standard gauge railway to aid its transport, at an investment of about USD 6 billion. Uganda will begin commercial oil production in 2025.