Government is set to increase the number of High Court judges from 83 to 151 in a move to ease access to justice in the country.

Parliament agreed with the government on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, after adopting a motion that was moved by Norbert Mao, the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs to have the number of high court judges increased.

Mao said that since 2017 when the number of judges was increased from 49-83, there has been an increased number of people who are aware of their legal rights, which has led to a more litigious population.

“Due to population increase, there has been demand for judiciary services and court use hence the need to increase on the judges,” Mao said.

The Minister added that over Shs 80trillion has been held up in court due to disputes and the move to enhance the sector will unclog the court system, since the funding of the judiciary has gradually increased.

“Increasing the number of judges will deal with issues of case backlog that continues to be a source frustration to many citizens,” he added.

The Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuzi said that if Parliament wants to see the value of money as it demands, they must ensure that the number of people on the bench increases.

It is the ultimate goal of Government to ensure that every county in Uganda has a magistrate court as well as eight circuits of Court of Appeal.