The Judiciary of Uganda has trained local leaders in Ibanda District on handling small claims and strengthening dispute resolution at the community level, as part of efforts to improve access to justice.
The training, held at the district headquarters, brought together Local Council chairpersons and Community Development Officers (CDOs) from Ibanda Municipality. It focused on equipping them with practical skills to manage disputes under the Small Claims Procedure.
Speaking during the session, Mastula Mulonde said the initiative is aimed at enhancing timely and efficient justice delivery, particularly for small-scale business operators.
“This initiative is aimed at quickening the delivery of justice, especially for the middle-income business community,” Mulonde said. “However, we have observed that the Small Claims Procedure is not yet fully embraced in Ibanda, which is why we are here to create awareness among local leaders.”
Mulonde expressed concern over the low uptake of the system, revealing that only 64 cases were handled at the Ibanda Chief Magistrate’s Court in the last financial year.
“The number of cases is still very low compared to the level of business activity in the district,” she noted. “We believe that empowering local leaders with this knowledge will help increase the utilization of the system.”
She urged leaders to actively promote the procedure, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness in resolving disputes quickly.
“The Small Claims Procedure is time-saving and does not require a lot of documentation. It has played a significant role in reducing case backlog in courts,” she added.
In his closing remarks, Guma Godfrey Nabireeba welcomed the training, describing it as a timely intervention.
“This training is very important because it will help local leaders, especially LC1 chairpersons, understand the kind of cases they are supposed to handle,” Nabireeba said. “It will also improve dispute resolution at the community level and reduce unnecessary escalation of cases.”
Under the Small Claims Procedure, disputes involving amounts not exceeding Shs 10 million can be resolved without lengthy court processes.
Introduced under the Judicature (Small Claims Procedure) Rules, 2011, the system was piloted in 2012 before being rolled out nationwide to handle minor commercial disputes more efficiently.
Local leaders who attended the training welcomed the initiative, noting that it will strengthen grassroots conflict resolution and reduce pressure on formal courts.
The Judiciary hopes that increased awareness will boost adoption of the procedure, improving access to justice while supporting local economic activity.
