By Parliament’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has taken the Judiciary to task over what it describes as a discriminatory and opaque system of promoting judicial officers, accusing the institution of sidelining experienced and long-serving judges in favour of younger or politically-aligned appointees.
The lawmakers expressed concern that the Judiciary’s current promotion system is not only unfair but also damaging to the credibility of the judicial system in Uganda.
The issue was first raised by Erute South MP, Jonathan Odur, who questioned the criteria used by the Judiciary and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in determining promotions and transfers of judges. Odur said several capable and seasoned judicial officers remain stuck in the same positions or stations for years without any explanation.
“There seem to be a number of judicial officers who are either stuck at a certain level or even at the same station without promotion. Every year, you hear Judge so and so is still here. Even stakeholders like lawyers are concerned. Despite high disposal rates of cases, these judges remain stagnant. Where is the fairness in that?” Odur asked.
MPs pointed to the case of Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, the most senior judge at the Court of Appeal, as a prime example of an officer whose promotion has stalled without reason. They also cited the late Justice Vincent Kibuuka-Musoke, who served until his death at age 71 without ever rising beyond the High Court bench, and Justice David Kutosi Wangutusi, another long-serving officer perceived to have been overlooked.
Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Ssegona joined the debate, voicing his frustration at what he called a “systemic failure to reward merit.”
“We see many senior judges stuck at the same level. Are you saying they are not competent? If that’s the case, why not have a mechanism to assess and remove them? But if they are competent and you are promoting junior judges to review their decisions, then what are we doing? It means the seniors are earning taxpayers’ money for nothing,” Ssegona said.
In response, Pius Bigirimana, Secretary to the Judiciary, defended the institution, stating that the promotion and recruitment of judicial officers is the responsibility of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), not the Judiciary itself.
“The recruitment is done by the Judicial Service Commission. It is the JSC that carries out assessments of performance and merit. If for one reason or another, a judicial officer has issues, I don’t think the JSC would promote that person. And remember, promotions also depend on the availability of vacancies,” Bigirimana explained.
However, his explanation did little to ease the lawmakers’ concerns, especially after he vaguely alluded to some judges having “issues,” without specifying what those issues were. His statement, some MPs argued, reinforced their suspicions of a secretive and arbitrary promotion system that lacks transparency and accountability.
Lawmakers have now demanded that the Judicial Service Commission appear before the Committee to clarify the promotion processes and address allegations of bias and stagnation among judicial officers.
The matter is expected to return to the Committee in subsequent sittings, with MPs pushing for reforms that ensure fairness, transparency, and career growth within Uganda’s judicial system.
