Judiciary to fill 10 vacant posts for judges

By Andante Okanya

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is seeking to recruit 10 new judges to fill vacant posts for Justices of the Supreme Court, the Appellate Court, and Judges of the High Court.

The commission is also seeking to recruit four persons for the post of Assistant Registrar.

Some judges have recently died, others retired, and some have been posted to higher duty stations within the courts of judicature.

In an advertisement notice signed by JSC secretary Kagole Kivumbi, suitable persons have been invited to submit their applications not later than April 30.

There are three vacancies each for Justice of the Supreme Court, and Justice of Appeal, while the post of Judge of the High Court has four vacancies.

According to the notice, those eligible for the post of Justice of the Supreme Court must have served as a Justice of the Court of Appeal or Judge of the High Court.

Alternatively, a  person must have practiced  as an advocate for a period of not less  than 15 years.

For Justice of Appeal, a person must have served as a Judge of the High Court practiced, or practiced as an advocate for a period of not less than 10 years.

Persons eligible for the post of Judge of the High Court  must have served  at a senior level in the courts of judicature or must have practiced as an advocate for a period of not less than 10 years.

For the post of Assistant Registrar, a person must have working experience of  at least three years as Chief Magistrate.

On April 14,  the judiciary spokesperson Erias Kisawuzi explained to New Vision that the vacant posts reflect the  shortfall in the number of judges at various courts.

“The vacant posts reflect the numbers that need to be filled up to make the composition complete,” Kisawuzi said.

A fully constituted Supreme Court comprises 11 justices. But the number currently stands at eight.

The Court of Appeal, when fully constituted, has 15 justices. The number currently stands at 11.

However, for the High Court, Kisawuzi said placed the number of judges at 60 but said it is not definite since the  number  can be varied depending on the needs of the various duties.  There are currently 55 judges  of the High Court.