The Judiciary department of the Ugandan government has decided to increase the number of judges and magistrates in an attempt to clear the current case backlog in the law courts of the country. The chief Justice Benjamin Odoki told members of parliament who paid him a visit at his chambers on 18th of august 2009 that there is need for increments at various court levels. The supreme court is expected to add 5 judges to the current 7 to make it 12 in total, court of appeal needs an additional 7 to the current 8 to make it 15 in total, High court of Uganda requires additional 32 to the current 50 to make it 82. This follows a series of mob justices that has taken toll of Uganda and complaints about the case backlog in courts. Whether this new attempt of the judiciary will yield fruits can not be ascertained now, but the reality on the ground indicates that many Ugandans have lost faith in the judicial system of this country.
There have been claims by a number of ordinary Ugandans and opposition members who have expressed that the Ugandan judiciary is very corrupt. And although chief justice Odoki, insist and shifts the blame to the police and Director of Public Prosecution who delay due process in courts, many Ugandans are convinced that judicial officers are to blame for the case backlog in this country. Examples demonstrating the corruption in the judiciary is not farfetched because not too long ago Moses Ndifuna a grade one magistrate of Mbarara district in Uganda was arrested for receiving a bribe of 2oo,ooo shillings to alter he’s judgment in favour of an accused person who was appearing before him. The case is before the anti-corruption court of Uganda and investigations into the case is still going on.
And although Odoki insists on telling us that there is reduced growth of case backlog from a 13% growth in financial year 2007/2008 to 4.0 during the current financial year, the increasing number of mob justices in the country suggests otherwise. This is because the rising crime level and mob justices indicate the loss of trust by the people of Uganda in judicial services of this country. People prefer to take matters of the law in their own hands because they are skeptical that the judiciary will fail them.
