KAMPALA- Uganda’s Judiciary is facing a staggering caseload of 1,736,280 cases as of January this year, with over 43,000 of those cases considered backlog.
Chief Registrar Sarah Lang Sui revealed these numbers during the launch of the “Strengthening Criminal Justice Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Uganda” initiative. It’s worth noting that these figures may change as the Judiciary is currently updating its records.
The backlog is a significant challenge, exacerbated by the limited number of judicial officers only 689 and the rising number of GBV cases, which make up a large portion of pending cases.
Many GBV victims require continuous support throughout the trial and post-trial processes. Additionally, overcrowding in holding facilities hampers the ability to administer timely justice to GBV survivors.
Despite these challenges, Lang Sui remains hopeful, citing the National Development Plan 4, which emphasizes gender equality as vital for sustainable development.
This plan is expected to provide a framework for addressing gender issues and discrimination more effectively, creating an environment where GBV victims can receive justice.
The Judiciary has been working to address its challenges; including implementing Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms like Plea Bargaining, which has shown a 22% rise in cases settled.
However, under staffing remains a critical issue, with delayed adjudication of cases and case backlog accounting for 26.32% of the pending caseload.
