More than 160,000 cases still unresolved in courts — report

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More than 167,353 cases remain pending at all levels of courts across the country, despite an increase in the Judiciary budget from sh199 billion to over sh400 billion.

This is according to the 2025 Judiciary National Court Case Census Report, released by the Judiciary on Thursday (January 29).

The report is based on a survey conducted by the Judiciary’s National Court Case Census Task Force on January 12 last year. The task force was chaired by retired Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera.

Findings indicate that the majority of pending cases are before the High Court and the Chief Magistrates' Courts.

Speaking at the launch of the report at the Supreme Court Conference Hall on Thursday, January 29, 2026, Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija underscored the importance of the census, describing it as a defining moment in the Judiciary’s journey.

“This report measures our problems and what we have to do to overcome them. For example, when I was a judge in Mbarara, I found cases pending before retired judges. Therefore, without reliable data, it becomes difficult to plan and allocate resources accordingly,” Zeija said.

He noted that part of the challenge facing the Judiciary has been the lack of comprehensive and verified information regarding case workload.

“We are going to institutionalise the case census. It must be done whether annually or after two years because a regular case census will help us measure the impact of our reforms and also promote accountability,” Zeija said.

With accurate and verifiable data on all pending cases, Zeija said the Judiciary would be better positioned to make targeted interventions and improve performance in the long term.

Details in Friday's edition of New Vision or click HERE to read via e-paper.