Chief justice roots for ADR at Wakiso High Court Open Day

WAKISO - The Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija, has appealed to litigants to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, such as mediation, for swift justice.

Zeija made the appeal while presiding over the Wakiso High Court Open Day on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

“I urge you to embrace ADR because courts have never resolved disputes, but they only decide them, and that is why you see people appealing against the decisions of court even when they shouldn't, which is not the case with mediation, where parties reach an agreement by consensus,” Zeija said.

Citing the 16 cases of the Bugwere cultural institution leadership, which are being resolved through mediation, Zeija said mediation restores harmony in society.
Zeija also appealed to the judges at the Wakiso High Court to champion ADR because it offers swift justice.

“I implore this court to champion ADR. If you see a matter that can be solved through ADR, please refer them to mediation for swift justice,” Zeija said.

On the issue of delayed trials raised by Nansana Municipality MP Zambali Bulasio Mukasa, who was among the participants, Zeija said this is caused by inadequate staffing resulting from budgetary constraints.

Wakiso residents during the Wakiso High Court Open Day on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

“It is good you are an MP. Please help us to get our budget increased because that is where the problem comes. Currently, I have 88 High Court judges out of the 150. In the next financial year, I am not going to recruit any judicial officers because the budget has not been provided. Therefore, this is a budget issue,” Zeija said.

Zeija added, “Our budget has always been 0.3% of the national budget, and it has just been increased to 0.6%, but the one of Parliament, where you can even spend one year without attending and get paid, is 1.6%, which is more than twice ours. So, if I can get the required budget, you would see wonders.”

Drawing from the feedback from the court users, Zeija commended the judges at Wakiso High Court for shunning corruption.

Sarah Langa Siu, the Wakiso High Court judge, revealed that the court has registered 5,470 cases since its operationalisation last year.

“We have disposed of 1,322 cases, and 4,151 cases are pending disposal,” Langa said.
Justice Langa noted that only 893 cases are categorised as backlog, accounting for 22% of the court’s case workload.

She also observed that 54% of the case workload at the court is land-related disputes, attributing the statistics to the rapid growth of the district coupled with increased pressures on the land.

On the good feedback given by the court users, Langa said it is because they have branded the court as a corruption-free zone.

“We have disposed of 1,322 cases, and 4,151 cases are pending disposal,” Langa said. Justice Langa noted that only 893 cases are categorised as backlog, accounting for 22% of the court’s case workload. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Langa appealed to the court users to report to them anybody who attempts to solicit bribes in the name of any judge at the court.

“If anybody asks you for money in our names, don’t pay it because we don’t take bribes to do our work,” Langa said.

Relatedly, Langa implored those seeking bail to wait until the court announces the figure and pay to avoid being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people.

Advocate Vincent Mugisha is to come up with new sentencing guidelines on plea bargaining, saying it is being abused by some of the judicial officers.  

Mugisha claimed that some of the judicial officers colluded with state attorneys to impose lenient sentences.