Pius Bigirimana, the Secretary to the Judiciary, has threatened to instruct landlords to close court buildings due to the ongoing failure of the Ministry of Finance to release the necessary funds for rent payments. This situation has sometimes forced him to reallocate funds intended for other judicial activities to cover rental arrears.
Bigirimana appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, February 26,2025, where he was summoned to respond to queries raised in the 2024 Auditor General’s report, which revealed that Judiciary spent UGX 790Million on payment of arrears yet the said funds hadn’t been included in the Institution’s annual budget.
“The alternative is to close the offices and remove the judges. I will not violate the law; I will close the offices. If there are consequences, I will face them here. If MPs insist that I’m breaking the law, then I will close the offices.” Bigirimana stated.
Sarah Opendi, Tororo District Woman Representative defended Bigirimana amidst complaints about his outburst , suggesting to MPs to allow witnesses to express themselves about the challenges they face while running public offices.
“I think let us allow people to express themselves because I seem no harm in the Accounting Officer speaking his mind and telling us that these are his challenges, He is free to express his opinion’’ Opendi stated.
Opendi further warned that if landlords go ahead with closing court buildings, it could significantly hinder the judiciary’s ability to administer justice. With many courts in Uganda operating from rented premises, evictions would lead to case backlogs, delays in hearings, and slow access to justice for citizens.
This situation emphasizes the urgent need for accelerating construction of Judiciary-owned court buildings. While some progress has been made such as the near-completion of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal buildings many courts still operate in rented premises.
The government has plans to expand infrastructure under its Judiciary Strategic Plan (2025/26–2029/30), but delays in implementation worsen existing challenges.
