Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija blames delayed trials on low manpower

The Chief Justice of Uganda, Dr Flavian Zeija has attributed the delayed trial of detainees to low manpower occasioned by the inadequate budget allocations to the Judiciary.

While addressing the public at the Open Day Court at Wakiso High Court in Nabweru, Justice Zeija revealed that the Judiciary is suffering a manpower shortage. He stated that they have only 88 judges of the High Court out of the 150 judges required.

“I want a situation where I have a full house of the magistrates and all the judges that we need. I want to show you that it is possible to bring a case before court and it is concluded in the fastest possible time like we did in the case of the other man who killed children [Okello Onyum murder case],” he said before adding.

“Help us increase our budget ( Judiciary budget) . At the moment, I have 88 judges of the High Court. They are supposed to be 150. In the next financial year, I will not be able to recruit (If budget allocation is not addressed).”

The Chief Justice was responding to the concern raised by Nansana Municipality MP Zambaali Bulasio Mukasa who decried the rising cases of detention without trial across Ugandan prisons, blaming  it on delayed hearings and limited judicial manpower.

According to Uganda Prisons statistics as per December 2025, Uganda's prison population stands at 80,110 inmates, creating a severe congestion crisis across the country's facilities. The system currently operates at an alarming 345% occupancy rate, with facilities originally built to accommodate just 23,104 people forced to house four times their intended capacity.