The Chief Justice, Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, met with members of the Performance Enhancement Tool (PET) Committee at the Court of Appeal, Judiciary Headquarters in Kampala on Thursday to review the PET assessment framework and ensure alignment with the core functions of the Judiciary.
The meeting focused on strengthening the accuracy of performance measurement and ensuring that assessment tools appropriately reflect the responsibilities of both judicial and non-judicial officers.
During the engagement, Justice Zeija emphasized that adjudication remains the central mandate of the Judiciary and should carry the greatest weight in evaluating judicial officers.
He expressed concern that the current PET model could allow officers to attain satisfactory scores through peer or stakeholder ratings despite underperformance in case disposal, thereby undermining the primary responsibility of judicial officers.
Justice Zeija cautioned that the 360-degree appraisal system may be susceptible to bias, noting that peer assessments can be influenced by personal relationships, while external stakeholders such as advocates may not always provide objective evaluations, particularly where judicial officers make unpopular but necessary decisions.
He further observed that some officers have limited interaction with certain evaluators, creating inconsistencies in the assessment process.
To address these concerns, Justice Zeija proposed a stronger emphasis on measurable and objective indicators, particularly case disposal and overall case management.
He recommended increasing the weight assigned to core judicial functions, while reducing reliance on peer, public, and subordinate assessments.
He also underscored the need to strengthen the role of supervisors in the appraisal process, noting that they are best placed to assess performance against established targets and outputs.
“Adjudication remains the central mandate of the Judiciary and must carry the greatest weight in evaluating judicial officers,” he said.
Providing clarification on the current framework, Joseph Ssinabulya, Principal Information Management Officer, explained that the PET scoring model was developed following a consultancy study and already places significant weight on core performance indicators through self-assessment and supervisor evaluation.
He noted that peer and subordinate assessments are intended to measure behavioural competencies such as teamwork, accountability, and time management, rather than technical judicial performance.
Joseph Ssinabulya acknowledged concerns regarding potential bias in peer evaluations and highlighted measures introduced to mitigate this, including involving supervisors in the selection of peer evaluators to reduce the risk of favouritism or collusion.
Ssinabulya further explained that the “public” assessment category is being refined to reflect actual service beneficiaries across different roles. For officers who do not directly interact with court users, such as researchers and ICT staff, evaluators are drawn from those they routinely support, including judicial officers, registrars, and administrative personnel.
Members observed that any adjustment to increase the weight of core functions will require more tailored profiling across the diverse categories of staff within the Judiciary.
The meeting was attended by Lamunu Pamella Ocaya, Acting Chief Registrar; Agnes Alum, Registrar Magistrates’ Affairs and Data Management; Mwesigye Julius, Personal Assistant to the Chief Justice; and Isaac Bbossa Sserunkuma, Senior Statistician