The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has raised concern over the growing backlog of cases in the judiciary, attributing it partly to prolonged detention of suspects without sufficient evidence.
Speaking to the media, Ssenyonyi questioned why some individuals remain on remand for extended periods, in some cases exceeding five years, without their cases being concluded.
He particularly called for the release of members of the National Unity Platform (NUP) who are currently before courts but, according to him, lack sufficient evidence to sustain the charges against them.
“We always have increasing numbers of case backlog for matters that take long without sufficient evidence. Why keep someone on remand for over five years without evidence?” Ssenyonyi said.
He argued that releasing suspects whose cases lack strong evidence would help ease congestion in the justice system.
According to the opposition leader, freeing such detainees would also create more space within the courts and detention facilities, thereby helping the judiciary handle other cases more efficiently.
Ssenyonyi urged the relevant authorities to review the cases of those who have spent long periods on remand and ensure that justice is delivered in a timely and fair manner.
Uganda’s judiciary has in recent years faced challenges related to case backlog, with many suspects spending lengthy periods in detention before their trials are concluded.
