Geoffrey Kiryabwire, a Justice of the Court of Appeal and the Court’s Administrator, on Tuesday convened a strategic meeting with Registrars of the Court to deliberate on critical administrative and performance issues, including preparations for the second Budget Call Circular for the Financial Year 2026/2027 and the status of long-pending cases.
The high-level engagement, held at the Court of Appeal in Kampala, was attended by Allen Owembabazi Rukundo, Registrar of the Court of Appeal; Janeva Natukunda, Deputy Registrar in charge of the Civil Registry; andJane Mugala, Deputy Registrar in charge of Appellate Mediation.
During the meeting, Kiryabwire raised concerns over the Court reporting its performance under both the calendar year and the financial year. He proposed that Senior Management provide guidance on adopting a single reporting framework aligned strictly to the financial year to ensure accuracy and consistency in performance monitoring.
“To enhance performance oversight, we ought to introduce periodic review meetings within the year to evaluate progress and address emerging challenges promptly,” he said.
Kiryabwire emphasized that end-of-year performance reviews alone have previously resulted in inconsistencies in reporting and delayed corrective action.
He suggested that the Court hold at least three review meetings annually, with the first scheduled for the end of March or early April 2026 to coincide with the close of the Financial Year.
The Court Administrator also called for a formal report on the reorganization of the Court’s archives. While commending the progress already achieved, Justice Kiryabwire expressed the expectation that the exercise would be completed within 2026.
The meeting highlighted that some case files still lack supporting documents uploaded in the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS), underlining the need for full digitization of court records.
On case management, the team reviewed files that have remained in the system for more than ten years. Participants discussed organizing special sessions to specifically address these long-pending cases, as part of broader efforts to improve case clearance and reduce backlog.
The Court’s budget priorities and work plan for the Financial Year 2026/2027 were also reviewed.
Challenges affecting Appellate Mediation were discussed, including the current reliance on only one full-time external mediator, Deputy Chief Justice Emeritus, Justice Richard Buteera. While recruitment of additional mediators has been slow, steps are being taken to address the shortage and strengthen the mediation programme.
The meeting noted that Justices of the Court of Appeal will participate in ongoing training on the Judgment Writing Tool, which commenced on Wednesday. Additionally, the rollout of the Performance Enhancement Tool (PET) was discussed as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability and performance management across the Judiciary.
Kiryabwire concluded the meeting by underscoring the Court’s commitment to improving efficiency, strengthening case management, and enhancing service delivery to the public through the adoption of modern technologies and robust performance monitoring mechanisms.
