Supreme Court introduces mediation to cut backlogs

Uganda’s Supreme Court has started a mediation process in a bid to fast-track cases, reports the Daily Monitor. Registrar of the Supreme Court Elizabeth Akullo Ogwal said they found it prudent to introduce mediation at the Supreme Court for purposes of cutting down the protracted legal battles that parties go through. She added: ‘It’s an approach aimed at reducing backlogs at the Supreme Court and also geared at fostering peaceful resolution of the cases between the litigants. Remember that these cases started from the lower courts, so you find that by the time they reach this level, litigants have spent huge sums of money in terms of legal fees. The costs associated with litigation and time spent are enormous, so it’s wise to explore options for amicable settlement, and appellate mediation is one of them.’

Ogwal said cases of a civil nature were being mediated and so far, they have identified 14 files that are ready for appellate mediation, and out of the 14, eight have already been registered. A single judge or an accredited court mediator can mediate the cases between the parties. Outgoing Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera last week urged the judiciary management to explore mediation as a means for the quick resolution of cases. ‘After four and a half years as Deputy Chief Justice and four decades in public service, it is my conviction that the people of Uganda want a justice system that is justice-centred and caters to their interests in a manner that they understand.’ Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has always advocated for alternative dispute resolution of cases, arguing that the US has also embraced mediation, with more than 90% of its cases being resolved through the same mechanism, according to the Daily Monitor. The judiciary has a case backlog of more than 43 000 cases, out which, 563 cases are in the Supreme Court.

Full Daily Monitor report