Masaka High Court to hear 36 GBV cases in special session

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The High Court in Masaka is set to hear a total of 36 sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases in a special session supported by the UN Women.

The programme set for between March and May follows a Justice for Her training at the Masaka High Court, aimed at strengthening the handling and expedited disposal of SGBV cases within the circuit.

The one-day March 2, 2026, preparatory training brought together judicial officers, court clerks, interpreters, and key criminal justice stakeholders drawn from the four magisterial areas under the circuit.



The engagement preceded the Justice for Her criminal session scheduled to commence on March 9, 2026, with a debrief planned for today, March 3.

In her opening remarks, Masaka High Court Circuit head Justice Katamba Victoria Nakintu Nkwanga, who opened the training, welcomed the faculty from the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) and disclosed that 36 cases have been cause-listed for hearing during the March session, with justices Victoria Nakintu and Fatuma Nanziri Bwanika assigned 18 matters each.

She explained that the cause list was developed using data generated from a comprehensive GBV case census conducted during earlier training engagements, where cases were systematically identified and categorised.

As a result of that structured preparatory process, the court enters the session with clarity, prioritisation, and operational focus. Justice Katamba observed that successive GBV-focused trainings have progressively strengthened judicial understanding and improved the courtroom experience for all court users, including complainants and accused persons.

She noted that the present training challenges justice actors to interrogate institutional norms and practical realities across the criminal justice continuum—examining not only what ought to be done, but how processes are actually executed in practice.

Drawing inspiration from the Bible's Micah 6:8, Katamba reflected on the call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly, principles she aligned with the mandate of judicial officers and justice actors. While acknowledging that comprehensive capacity-building ideally requires more time, she emphasised the need to balance training with the responsibility to commence and conclude the criminal session within stipulated timelines.

She expressed appreciation to Lady Justice Alice Komuhangi, the Focal Judge SGBV and justice actors across the Circuit, noting that their collective engagement strengthens institutional capacity and promotes culturally sensitive, timely, and effective justice delivery.

Delivering his remarks virtually, Judicial Training Institute executive director Justice Prof. Andrew Khaukha, described the training as a strategic intervention under the Justice for Her Project, a targeted case management initiative designed to strengthen co-ordination and expedited disposal of SGBV cases within the courts.

He explained that the initiative enhances institutional responsiveness, embeds victim-sensitive approaches, and promotes timely adjudication in line with the Judiciary’s commitment to survivor-centred justice.

According to a social media post on March 2, Khaukha extended appreciation to UN Women for its financial and technical support, as well as to the Chief Justice and Judiciary leadership for directing JTI to implement the Training for Results Model as the standard framework for judicial capacity-building.

Under this model, the post says, training is conceptualised as a continuous performance improvement cycle beginning with the identification of operational gaps, followed by structured learning, and extending into post-training monitoring and evaluation to ensure measurable outcomes in court operations.

According to the Judiciary, about 22 per cent of women and 8 per cent of men are reported to experience SGBV.