Uganda: Court of Appeal Takes Civil Hearings to Mbale As 14,127 Cases Remain Pending

What the report says

The Court of Appeal has begun a two-day civil appeals sitting in Mbale, eastern Uganda, in a move meant to make appellate justice more accessible to litigants who would otherwise need to travel to Kampala. The session, which runs from October 12 to 13, was reported by Nile Post and distributed by AllAfrica.

Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kawumi Kazibwe opened the hearing and said the Judiciary needs better coordination across the justice system to reduce delays. He noted that the Court of Appeal is dealing with 14,127 pending cases and has only 19 judges in post, compared with an approved establishment of 35, underscoring pressure on the courts and wider funding and staffing gaps.

The report said the Mbale session is being heard by a three-judge panel led by Justice Christopher Gashirabake, alongside Justices Margaret Tibulya and Cornelia K. Sabiiti. Local litigants quoted in the article welcomed the decision, saying repeated trips to Kampala had been costly and risky, especially for people pursuing land and other civil disputes from eastern Uganda.

Kazibwe also pointed to delays outside the Judiciary, including slow police investigations, missed legal deadlines, approval bottlenecks and shortages of state attorneys. He said some measures, such as alternative dispute resolution and faster hearings, are being used to clear older cases, while a planned Court of Appeal facility in Mbale is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.