Lawyers practicing in Masaka District have launched a protest against what they describe as an untenable backlog of cases at the Masaka High Court, demanding the immediate deployment of more judges to the region.
In a petition signed by 26 lawyers and submitted to the relevant judicial authorities, the group announced that they would not return to court until the judiciary addresses the shortage of judges.
Currently, Masaka High Court has only one resident judge presiding over more than 4,000 pending cases.
“We currently have only one High Court judge in Masaka who is overwhelmed with a caseload of over 4,000 files, ranging from land disputes, criminal cases, family matters to civil suits,” said senior lawyer Alexander Lule, who is leading the protest.
The lawyers argue that the severe understaffing is leading to significant delays in justice delivery, including the denial of timely bail hearings—a violation of suspects’ constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial.
“We have reached out to the responsible authorities and requested meetings to address the issue, but nothing has been done so far. This is why we have decided to withdraw our services until a practical solution is found,” Lule said.
Herbert Zikusooka, another lawyer involved in the boycott, said that many clients have suffered due to the persistent delays.
“Some have spent months in prison without bail simply because their applications can’t be heard in time,” he said.
Davis Kiconco, also among the petitioners, warned of broader societal consequences, saying that public trust in the judicial system is eroding fast.
“Some people are now resorting to taking the law into their own hands. We’ve seen cases that were supposed to be before the court now being handled at police stations or resolved through unlawful means,” Kiconco added.
The lawyers are calling on the judiciary to urgently deploy additional High Court judges to Masaka to reduce the backlog and restore faith in the justice system.
Until then, they insist their boycott of court proceedings will continue.
The judiciary is yet to issue an official response to the petition.