Parliament has received a new Bill seeking to reform Uganda’s lower courts and reduce the growing backlog of cases in the superior courts.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, tabled the Magistrates' Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has been referred to the Parliament of Uganda Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for scrutiny.
The proposed law aims to overhaul the magistrates’ courts by revising their financial jurisdiction and improving judicial administration.
According to the Bill’s memorandum, the current pecuniary jurisdiction of magistrates was last revised in 2007 and has become outdated due to inflation and changes in the value of money.
“As a result, cases that should be handled at the magisterial level end up in the High Court, thereby causing backlog at the High Court,” the memorandum states.
To address the problem, the Bill proposes increasing the financial limits that magistrates can handle.
Under the proposed changes, the jurisdiction of a Chief Magistrate would rise from Shs50 million to Shs100 million, while that of a Magistrate would increase from Shs20 million to Shs50 million.
The legislation also proposes structural reforms within the lower bench by abolishing the position of Magistrate Grade II and simplifying the hierarchy to two ranks: Chief Magistrate and Magistrate.
Another key provision seeks to address procedural challenges faced by court users when a case is filed in a court without jurisdiction.
Currently, a lower court that lacks jurisdiction in a civil matter must dismiss the case entirely rather than transfer it, forcing litigants to restart the process in another court.
The Bill proposes to empower Chief Magistrates to withdraw such cases and transfer them to courts with the appropriate jurisdiction instead of dismissing them.
Lawmakers say this would reduce unnecessary costs and delays for court users.
The proposed law also transfers the authority to issue certain statutory instruments from the Minister of Justice to the Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, strengthening judicial oversight of administrative procedures within the court system.
Additionally, the Bill includes transitional provisions allowing the High Court of Uganda to transfer pending cases back to magistrates’ courts if hearings have not yet begun and if such transfers are deemed fair.
If passed, the reforms are expected to enable magistrates to handle higher-value civil claims and impose higher fines, thereby reducing the number of cases filed directly in the High Court and improving the overall efficiency of Uganda’s justice system.
