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Parliament has approved a government motion to raise the number of Judges in the High Court from 83 to 151. The decision, tabled by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, comes in response to the growing population, rising crime rates, and a significant backlog of cases. The move aims to alleviate the burden on the judiciary system and meet the increasing demand for court services.

Parliament has approved a government motion to increase the number of Judges of the High Court from the current 83 to 151.

The motion was tabled by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs during Tuesday plenary sitting that was chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa.

The number of High Court Judges was last increased in 2017 from 49 to 83. According to Mao, the current number of 83 judges has been found to be inadequate.

“If you visited any judge in their office, you could hardly see them because of the heap of files that covers their faces. A typical judge must work even on weekend and public holidays,” Mao said.

Mao said that cabinet found it necessary to increase the number of judges due to the increase in population and crime rate leading to high demand for judiciary services and court use. He added that the increase is necessitated by the acute backlog.

Hon. Agnes Kunihira (Workers Representative) urged Government to also consider increasing the number of Judges of the Industrial Court. She says there are currently only two judges of the Industrial Court. The motion was overwhelmingly supported and approved.