Who is Flavian Zeija, Uganda's newly appointed Chief Justice?

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Justice Flavian Zeija is set to become Uganda's next Chief Justice — head of the Judiciary — following his appointment to the role by President Yoweri Museveni.

On Thursday (January 22), Parliament's Committee on Appointments, chaired by Speaker Anita Among, vetted the Deputy Chief Justice, with State House later saying the House had approved his nomination.

That means Zeija will succeed Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, who has retired after clocking 70 years of age.

A lawyer, academic and former judge of the High Court of Uganda, Zeija served as a principal judge from December 25, 2019, until his appointment as Deputy Chief Justice on February 7, 2025.

Vastly experienced as a practising attorney, he started out in 1998 as a legal assistant with Kwesigabo, Bamwine, Walubiri & Company Advocates, a Kampala-based law firm.

In the past, he worked at Tropical Africa Bank as manager of legal and recovery, between 2002 and 2003. He also worked at FINCA Uganda Limited as legal counsel.

At the time he was appointed to the High Court, Zeija served as the managing partner at Zeija, Mukasa & Company Advocates.

Hit the ground running

Zeija's first task will be to lead the Supreme Court in handling a presidential election petition filed by Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party (NPP), one of the eight candidates in the January 15 presidential election won by Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Kasibante's argument is that the election was marred by widespread irregularities and non-compliance with electoral laws, which substantially affected the final results. He is left with less than a fortnight to gather evidence to support his petition.

The Electoral Commission (EC) announced the final results of the 2026 presidential election on January 17. 

Under Ugandan law, a presidential election petition must be filed within 15 days after the declaration of results, which means any aggrieved candidate has until February 1 to petition the Supreme Court.

Kasibante finished sixth in an eight-strong presidential race, having got 33,440 votes (0.30%). The final results announced by EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama placed Museveni as the winner with 7,946,772 votes, representing 71.65% of the total votes cast.

Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP) was second with 2,741,238 votes (24.72%), followed by Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) with 108,301 votes (1.88%) and Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), who got 59,276 votes (0.56%).

Frank Bulira of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP) was fifth with 45,959 votes (0.41%), ahead of Kasibante, while Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party (CMP) secured 31,666 votes (0.29%), and Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party (CP) managed 23,458 votes (0.21%)

The law

In the 2021 presidential election, NUP candidate Kyagulanyi, after coming up second-best behind winner Museveni, filed a petition against the President, the EC, and the AG, but he later withdrew the petition prematurely.

Under Section 59(1) of the Presidential Election Petition Act, an aggrieved candidate may petition the Supreme Court for an order that a candidate declared elected as President as not validly elected.

Upon filing the petition in the Supreme Court registry, the court shall inquire into and determine the petition expeditiously and shall declare its findings and reasons not later than 45 days from the date the petition is filed.

According to the same piece of legislation, if no petition is filed or where a candidate withdraws their petition or a petition is dismissed by the apex court, "the candidate declared elected shall conclusively be taken to have been duly elected as President".

After its inquiry, the Supreme Court has the power to dismiss the petition, declare which candidate was validly elected or overturn the election altogether.