{"id":122210,"date":"2026-04-16T10:28:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access"},"modified":"2026-04-16T11:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:11:48","slug":"chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access","title":{"rendered":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Uganda. <\/strong><\/span><b>Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers and local stakeholders on improving service delivery and access to justice.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The visit focused on addressing operational challenges, enhancing court efficiency, and strengthening justice systems at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Zeija was accompanied by Karoli Lwanga Ssemogerere, Permanent Secretary\/Secretary to the Judiciary; Pius Bigirimana; and Acting Chief Registrar Pamella Lamunu Ocaya.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting brought together representatives from key institutions, including the Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, alongside local leaders, advocates, and religious figures.<\/p>\n<p>During the engagement, Chief Justice Zeija highlighted recent amendments to the Magistrates Courts Act, which significantly expand the jurisdiction of lower courts.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that the pecuniary jurisdiction of Grade I Magistrates has been increased from Shs20 million to Shs100 million, while that of Chief Magistrates has risen from Shs50 million to Shs200 million\u2014reforms aimed at reducing travel distances for litigants and improving efficiency in case handling.<\/p>\n<p>The Chief Justice also outlined ongoing initiatives under the Judiciary\u2019s transformation agenda, including decentralisation of the Inspectorate of Courts and the Court of Appeal, the rollout of mobile courts to serve remote communities, and continued infrastructure development nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasised the Judiciary\u2019s commitment to expanding access to justice through structural reforms and improved service delivery.<\/p>\n<p>On dispute resolution, Justice Zeija underscored the importance of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), particularly mediation, in easing court case backlogs.<\/p>\n<p>He referenced the Judicature (Court Annexed Mediation) Rules, 2026, noting that mediation promotes amicable settlement, reduces appeals, and enhances timely justice delivery.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the Judiciary is training cultural, religious, and community leaders in mediation to strengthen local dispute resolution mechanisms.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Zeija commended Rukiga District for providing land for court construction and reiterated the Judiciary\u2019s policy of establishing at least one Grade I Magistrate\u2019s Court per constituency.<\/p>\n<p>He, however, acknowledged staffing gaps, noting that recruitment of additional judicial officers would depend on available resources.<\/p>\n<p>The Chief Justice also pledged to engage the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions over the absence of a State Attorney in the district, which has contributed to delays in criminal case disposal.<\/p>\n<p>He further noted that hard-to-reach districts such as Rukiga, Kisoro, and Kabale are being prioritised for transport allocation, while concerns about the lack of a female prison facility would be discussed with the Uganda Prisons Service.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Ssemogerere described the establishment of the current court as a milestone, noting that Rukiga had gone years without an operational court following the phasing out of Grade II Courts.<\/p>\n<p>However, he raised concerns about the distance between some courts within the district, which could affect accessibility.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Bigirimana urged district authorities to provide adequate land\u2014at least 1.5 acres\u2014for court infrastructure development, warning that limited space could hinder expansion.<\/p>\n<p>He also pledged immediate logistical support to the court, including a motorcycle and a computer by June, alongside furniture, signage, and fencing.<\/p>\n<p>The engagement forms part of broader Judiciary efforts to strengthen institutional capacity, improve service delivery, and ensure justice is more accessible to communities across Uganda.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Uganda<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Uganda. Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers and local stakeholders on improving service delivery and access to justice. The visit focused on addressing operational challenges, enhancing court efficiency, and strengthening justice systems at the grassroots level. Justice Zeija was accompanied by Karoli Lwanga [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":122209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-122210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers an ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers an ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T10:28:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T11:11:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-16T10:28:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-16T11:11:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\"},\"wordCount\":547,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\",\"name\":\"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access - Uganda\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-16T10:28:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-16T11:11:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers an ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/\",\"name\":\"Uganda\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access - Uganda","description":"Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers an ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access","og_description":"Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers an ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access","og_site_name":"Uganda","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-04-16T10:28:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-16T11:11:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access","datePublished":"2026-04-16T10:28:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-16T11:11:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access"},"wordCount":547,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg","keywords":["uganda"],"articleSection":["all news","community"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access","name":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access - Uganda","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-16T10:28:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-16T11:11:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Chief Justice Flavian Zeija has conducted a working visit to Rukiga Magistrate\u2019s Court, engaging judicial officers an ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1776325161.583504.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/chief-justice-engages-rukiga-leaders-on-justice-access#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chief Justice Engages Rukiga Leaders on Justice Access"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/","name":"Uganda","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122210"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122216,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122210\/revisions\/122216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}