The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has appointed, in acting capacities, 15 Chief Magistrates to handle petitions from the 2021 elections in a move to boost service delivery in the.
The Commission’s Chief Registrar, Sarah Langa Siu, said the newly appointed officers will be deployed as soon as they accept the appointments.
She says the latest appointments are intended to address staffing gaps in the judiciary.
“The latest appointments are mostly intended to address the staffing gaps in the magisterial areas especially in view of the anticipated election-related petitions with strict timelines,” she said.
The newly appointed include Robert Mukanza currently deployed in Kyenjojo, Joan Aciro (Kira), John Kavuma Mugagga (Nakaseke) and Sarah Basemera (Nabweru). They will await new deployments by the judiciary’s Chief Registrar.
While swearing in members of the JSC in Kampala on January 21, the Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny – Dollo, said the desire of the judiciary today would be to have at least a Chief Magistrate per district and a Magistrate Grade One per constituency. The judiciary currently has only 42 of the 100 Chief Magistrates in its structure.
Owiny – Dollo also said Uganda needs the structure of the Court of Appeal Justices to be increased from the current 15 to 32, and that of the High Court judges to be increased from 82 to 150.
