Eleven newly appointed acting judges of the High Court have been deployed in a move that will see three new High Court circuits operationalized.

The new circuits are Bushenyi, Kiboga and Kitgum high courts, carved out of Mbarara, Mubende and Gulu high courts, respectively.

This was revealed in a statement by Principal Judge Dr Flavian Zeija on Thursday.

The latest deployments have seen Lady Justice Flavia Nabakooza taken to the Land Division and the outgoing Judiciary public relations officer, Justice Jameson Karemani, deployed to Kiboga as the first judge of the circuit.

Justice Amos Kwizera has been moved to Mbarara High Court but will move to Bushenyi High Court after organization of the court.

Justice Phillip Willebrord Mwaka has been posted to Gulu High Court Circuit but will later move to Kitgum High Court.

Justice David L. Makumbi has been posted to the Fort Portal High Court Circuit and Lady Justice Dr Christine Akello Echookit to the Family Division of the High Court.

Lady Justice Jaqueline Mwondha is deployed to Mukono High Court Circuit and Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala to the Land Division of the High Court.

Lady Justice Kania Rosette Comfort moves to the Criminal Division of the High Court while Lady Justice Patience Emily Tumusiime Rubagumya goes to the Commercial Division of the High Court.

Justice Farouq Lubega has been deployed to Mbale High Court Circuit.

The new courts being operationalized are part of Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo's transformational agenda to improve access to justice.

While launching the video conferencing system at Gulu High Court last week, the Chief Justice noted that the operationalization of the new high court circuits will “greatly reduce on the long distances that the people have been trekking to access high court services”.

The deployments have also seen circuits with a heavy workload such as Fort Portal, Mbale and Mukono getting an additional judge.

In the same vein, Land Division got two additional judges while Commercial, Criminal and Family Divisions have each got one additional judge.

'Don't spoil your future'

The eleven new High Court judges took the oath on August 17 at a ceremony presided over by President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe.

“This is a very good opportunity for you, the future is in front of you, don't be tempted by any shortcuts because I have been watching people from the 1960s who made mistakes when they got power," Museveni told them.

"Don't contaminate your future, you have the opportunity, don't spoil it."

The President assured the Judiciary that their target to get enough manpower to ensure justice for all Ugandans will be achieved.

“The target is to get enough manpower in the Judiciary to cover the geography of the country so that somebody does not have to go and look for justice very far."

Museveni explained that the journey to increasing the size of the Judiciary is linked to the process of recovery, growth and transformation of Uganda's economy.

“What I have been explaining to everybody is that whatever the Government does depends on the economy, and this is what I would like all citizens of Uganda to understand. The Judiciary must understand the political economy of the country so that we don't keep arguing the way forward.

During that ceremony, Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo hailed the President for strengthening the Judiciary by giving them more 11 well deserving manpower.

"This brings the number of High Court judges to 81, which is slightly over 50 percent of our requirement. I congratulate you my Lords, you are most welcome to the Judiciary family.

“Increasingly we are getting people appointed to the upper bench who are more academically qualified than when we joined the Judiciary," said the Judiciary chief.